The fast fashion industry is valued as one of the largest industries globally, with its enormous production significantly contributing to environmental injustice. This study investigates the role of fast fashion organisations in addressing consumer demands for sustainability, focusing on the H&M Group as a case study. Despite the organisational efforts towards sustainable practices, consumers require more honesty and transparency in the way fast fashion organisations communicate their actions.The study begins with an introduction to the environmental impact of the fashion industry and the research problem, followed by introducing the H&M Group as a single case study. The literature review is used to provide an overview of existing research and contextual information followed by a conceptual framework incorporating CSR, the triple bottom line, the concept of sustainability, and corporate sustainability. The study draws on the social constructivist methodology with an abductive approach, utilising both quantitative and qualitative data.This research uses the H&M Group’s sustainability reports from 2020 to 2022, analysing how the organisation communicates and constructs its sustainability practices. Additionally, a survey was conducted to capture consumer perspectives on the sustainability efforts of fast fashion organisations.The case study is further detailed before describing the methods of data collection and analysis, including discourse and thematic analysis. The data sets, comprising H&M Group’s sustainability reports and the survey results, are furthermore presented. The findings reveal a significant paradox and complexity for both consumers and organisations. Consumers distrust fashion organisations’ sustainability claims yet continue to purchase low-cost products. The fast fashion industry faces the challenging task of balancing profitability with genuine sustainability, while mainly highlighting possible future actions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-69152 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Tubic, Borna, Von Jutrzenka, Sophia |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Institutionen för Urbana Studier (US) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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