From Cotton to Clothing: Unpacking Sustainability in the Fashion Industry Open Access
Clark, Julia (Spring 2019)
Abstract
An interdisciplinary approach reveals that sustainability increasingly drives the retail industry, impacting marketing and consumer behavior. The retail company Patagonia supplies the case study for this discussion. Patagonia foregrounds its commitments to sustainability and has become a model for other retail companies. Retailers now view a commitment to sustainability as a means to retain customers in a progressively competitive retail landscape. A history of Patagonia, principles of sustainable marketing, standards of the retail industry, and the changing customer more broadly frame the analysis of Patagonia. Patagonia represents an increasing trend where corporations have the capacity to create social change through company initiatives—in the case of Patagonia, these initiatives relate to sustainability.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION: ................................................................................................................................ 1
CHAPTER 1: THE CASE STUDY—PATAGONIA ..................................................................... 4
THE ENVIRONMENT: ..............................................................................................................................................6
THE CUSTOMER:......................................................................................................................................................7
THE EMPLOYEE: ......................................................................................................................................................8
LIMITATIONS AND QUESTIONS: ....................................................................................................................... 10
THE MISSION AND VALUES OF PATAGONIA: ............................................................................................... 12
MARKETING MIX AND THE 4PS:......................................................................................................................13
CHAPTER 2: WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE?.........................................................................15
CHAPTER 3: AN INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE MARKETING..........................18
SUSTAINABLE MARKETING—A PARADOX:................................................................................................. 28
CHAPTER 4: THE PRODUCT LIFECYCLE .............................................................................30
INTRODUCTION: .................................................................................................................................................... 30
A DEEPER LOOK INTO COTTON:...................................................................................................................... 34
SYNTHETIC FIBER PRODUCTION: .................................................................................................................... 39
THE GRAVE STAGE: ............................................................................................................................................ 41
CHAPTER 5: STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS OF THE RETAIL INDUSTRY . 46
INTRODUCTION: .................................................................................................................................................... 46
LAWLESSNESS IN EARLY DAYS:...................................................................................................................... 46
LAWS IN RESPONSE TO DISASTER:.................................................................................................................. 47
AVOIDANCE OF LAWS: ....................................................................................................................................... 49
INDUSTRY STANDARDS:..................................................................................................................................... 50
CERTIFICATIONS: ................................................................................................................................................. 51
HOW TO INCREASE THE IMPACTS OF CERTIFICATIONS:............................................................................53
CHAPTER 6: SHIFTING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR ...............................................................55
INTRODUCTION: .................................................................................................................................................... 55 AGE:......................................................................................................................................................................... 56
VALUES DRIVEN: ................................................................................................................................................. 58
BRAND LOYAL: .................................................................................................................................................... 59
VALUES EXPERIENCE: ........................................................................................................................................ 61
SUCCUMBS TO SOCIAL PRESSURES: ............................................................................................................... 63
CONCLUSION: ...................................................................................................................................65
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