Sustainability and Social Responsibility

How to Inform Consumers about My Green Products?: Exploring Denim Brands' Strategies Communicating Sustainability Practices

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore communication strategies used by denim brands to engage and inform consumers about their sustainable initiatives using social media. This study included three big brands with a large market share and five small, newer brands. All eight denim brands have active sustainability programs. Three social media platforms were selected for data collection. A total of 609 social media content posts were collected and used for data analysis. This study identified seven patterns in sustainability communication strategies: abstract and concrete communication approaches, product and process-oriented information, benefit appeal, and explicit and implicit approaches. Big brands were more conservative in their sustainability-related communication on social media than small ones and used more process-oriented messaging for environmental issues. In contrast, small brands favored product-oriented information and abstract communication approaches. Additionally, big brands used concrete information approaches more frequently than small ones.

Keywords: Sustainability, Communication Strategy, Denim, Social media

How to Cite:

Haque, F. & Karpova, E., (2024) “How to Inform Consumers about My Green Products?: Exploring Denim Brands' Strategies Communicating Sustainability Practices”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 80(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17539