The fashion industry, a major global polluter, has been paying more attention to the environmental and ecological impacts of clothing production. A subset of established brands — some supported by the US group Cotton Incorporated — have pushed programmes where denim and other types of clothing can be turned in at a store, collected, and then sent for recycling. Often, these recycling efforts are supported with promotional offers that allow customers to purchase new items at a discount. This is potentially paradoxical as in this way recycling is used to promote further consumption. This paper interrogates the promotion of recycling programmes from four US brands: American Eagle, H&M, Madewell and The North Face. To do so, this paper uses a textual analysis and deconstruction of the brands’ websites and in-store advertising, as well as a KWIC analysis of Twitter messages. By examining the tangible communication components that support the recycling efforts, this analysis highlights the ‘complicated greenness’ (Hepburn, 2013) within the process as consumer incentives for recycling promote further consumption and often leave consumers confused as to the environmental efficacy of such practices. This paper offers considerations for ways fashion brands might be more impactful in their foray into environmentalism.
Clothing reuse: The potential in informal exchange
RAA launches recycling education campaign - Recycling Today
PDF) A Systematic Literature Review for the Recycling and Reuse of Wasted Clothing
textile recycling The Woodlands Township Environmental Services
Communication of sustainability at European fashion online shops
Frontiers Sufficiency as trend or tradition?—Uncovering business pathways to sufficiency through historical advertisements
Clothing Recycling: Why Is It So Hard?
Sustainability, Free Full-Text
Clothing reuse: The potential in informal exchange
Sustainability, Free Full-Text