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Greenwashing and Bluewashing in Black Friday-Related Sustainable Fashion Marketing on Instagram

Author

Listed:
  • Astrid Sailer

    (Evolutionary Anthropology, Human Ecology Research Group, University of Vienna, A-1030 Vienna, Austria)

  • Harald Wilfing

    (Evolutionary Anthropology, Human Ecology Research Group, University of Vienna, A-1030 Vienna, Austria)

  • Eva Straus

    (Occupational, Economic and Social Psychology, University of Vienna, A-1010 Vienna, Austria)

Abstract

Growing awareness of the fashion industry’s negative impact on people and the environment has led to considerable growth of the sustainable fashion market. At the same time, Black Friday purchases increase annually as the sales event develops into a global phenomenon. As sustainable fashion brands are choosing to participate in the event, many communicate their offers via the social media platform Instagram. To gain a competitive advantage and maintain their sustainable corporate images, some brands use greenwashing and/or bluewashing strategies. The first part of this study explores which strategies were employed in Instagram content posted by sustainable brands, using quantitative and qualitative content analysis. We propose a research-based model of nine greenwashing/bluewashing strategies. The second part of the study examines predictive factors for consumer evaluations of Black Friday ads by sustainable brands, using an online survey and a stepwise multiple regression analysis. Findings show that consumers’ critical attitude towards Black Friday and high ad skepticism predict positive evaluations while sustainable purchase behavior predicts negative evaluations. These insights suggest that ‘sustainable’ Black Friday campaigns may appeal to consumers who show a general concern for the environment and issues of social sustainability, but not to those who exhibit actual sustainable behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Astrid Sailer & Harald Wilfing & Eva Straus, 2022. "Greenwashing and Bluewashing in Black Friday-Related Sustainable Fashion Marketing on Instagram," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:3:p:1494-:d:736062
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ulrike Bechtold & Natalie Stauder & Martin Fieder & Harald Wilfing, 2022. "Stuck in the Present: A Human Lack of Ability to Visualise (Different) Needs in the Future May Hamper Timely Implementation of AAL and Supportive Technology," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-14, June.
    2. Subhasis Ray & Lipsa Nayak, 2023. "Marketing Sustainable Fashion: Trends and Future Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-28, April.
    3. Escudero, Stephanie B. & Jestratijevic, Iva & Short, Jeremy C. & Wolfe, Marcus T., 2023. "B Corp certification in the age of fast fashion: Using hierarchical clustering and correspondence factor analysis to highlight social entrepreneurial advancement in the fashion industry," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    4. Muhammad Rifqi Maarif & Muhammad Syafrudin & Norma Latif Fitriyani, 2023. "Uncovering Sustainability Insights from Amazon’s Eco-Friendly Product Reviews for Design Optimization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-23, December.
    5. Hea Young Lim & Ki Han Kwon, 2023. "Sustainable Assessment of the Environmental Activities of Major Cosmetics and Personal Care Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-20, September.
    6. Magdalena Stefańska & Iwona Olejnik, 2024. "Retailers’ social impact perspective–discrepancies between theory and practice," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 51(3), pages 355-368, September.
    7. Evangelia Ktisti & Leonidas Hatzithomas & Christina Boutsouki, 2022. "Green Advertising on Social Media: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-25, November.

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