A greener industry or just green marketing? : an exploratory study about how consumers experience green marketing in the fast fashion industry

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this thesis is to explore how consumers experience green marketing within the fast fashion industry. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used as a foundation for a conceptual framework. A qualitative approach was used, and the empirical data was gathered through three semi-structured focus groups with a total of 17 participants. Participants were acquired through a convenience sampling method, influenced by purposive sampling. Firstly, we concluded that some consumers believe that green marketing within the fast fashion industry is a positive trend that contributes to a more sustainable industry, while some believe it is false, a facade and a sales ploy. Secondly, we found that important reference groups who influence consumers’ experience of green marketing within the fast fashion industry are social norms, trend, social media and influencers. Lastly, consumers sometimes choose to believe in green marketing campaigns since it is too time consuming to check the validity and it eliminates the search for further information. Due to the daily exposure of these campaigns, some consumers associate these with sustainable collections. However, some are more critical toward the use of green marketing within the fast fashion industry and believe that it contradicts sustainability. Previous scandals within the industry are also affecting consumers’ experience of fast fashion in relation to sustainability. The findings have contributed to understanding of how consumers experience green marketing within the fast fashion industry. Also, it provides useful insights that fast fashion companies can use to conduct a more trustworthy and genuine green marketing.