Going Green to Stay In the Black: The Apparel Industry

Following the significant growth in conscious consumerism, companies in the apparel industry have capitalized on this trend by introducing a variety of products, campaigns, and services tailored towards the market segment. In addition to existing brands looking to grow their market share, entire organizations have been successful in creating and establishing a brand targeted specifically at conscious consumers. Large brands that entered this market have been able to maintain their existing quality all while appealing to this consumer purchasing behaviour. 

Successful Green Initiatives

Examples of popular brands leveraging this growing market segment include Converse and Adidas. Both companies have been strategic in their introduction of their all-new environmentally-friendly shoes. Using new materials in production as a means to promote their “Go Green” campaigns, while simply extending their existing, they created highly successful product lines. For instance, The Converse Renew series uses 30% to 40% manufacturing waste to create the upper part of the shoe and recycled rubber for the entire sole. Similarly, the Adidas Parley collection followed a similar approach by using up to 75% recycled water bottles in production to reintroduce previously successful styles. These product lines are backed by entire campaigns that promote current environmental issues and share the company's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. This further contributes to a consumer’s perception that purchasing these products will support their ideologies and personalities. 

Another example lies with Nike, who have taken this strategy a step further by introducing a new material. Nike Grind is derived from surplus manufacturing materials, that is used to create a wide variety of products. While Adidas and Converse introduced sole products, Nike Grind is being used to create footwear, sports apparel, and athletic surfaces. In collaboration with their many partners, surfaces created by Nike Grind cover more than 1 billion square feet across 10,000 projects since 1992. According to Nike’s annual impact report, 120 million pounds of factory material was recycled through Nike Grind in 2019. This initiative has not only attracted conscious consumers to buy their products, but also organizations with environmentally-conscious values to fulfill their goals.

While many green initiatives in the apparel industry seem to be launched by shoe companies, ethically-positioned clothing companies are also attempting to draw in conscious customers. Matt & Nat is a clothing company created entirely around the premise of conscious consumerism, offering vegan, cruelty-free and “eco-friendly” products that are fashionable and luxurious. In only 25 years, the company has experienced significant growth globally, with over 800 locations around the world. The company continues to introduce new campaigns and initiatives to maintain and develop their share of the conscious consumer market segment. For example, in 2007, Matt & Nat committed to using strictly 100% recycled plastic in the linings of all products. Despite the use of such material, the brand is well known for offering luxurious products selling for hundreds of dollars.

Fast failures

The aforementioned organizations have been successful in marketing their products as environmentally-friendly as well as informing consumers of the impact this movement has. By being transparent with consumers and explaining their shared mission, consumers become more involved with the campaign as a result. While individuals enjoy the feeling of contributing to a certain cause during the purchase, details and continuous updates are important to elongate this emotion long after the purchase is made. 

The fast-fashion brand H&M disregarded this aspect, which led to many conscious consumers to doubt the validity of their cause. The company’s “Conscious Collection” directly targeted this market segment, but failed to provide sufficient information related to why and how the organization was being environmentally friendly. The bold initiative name in conjunction with their vague project description led many to become skeptical and turn against the brand. This failed campaign resulted in backlash from news organizations and consumers, as people examined H&M’s operational practices as a whole and discovered the massive carbon footprint created by the company. 

Summary

It is evident from these examples that transparency and communication of information is imperative to successfully appeal to conscious consumers. H&M decided to sacrifice their carbon reduction in order to maintain their idea of quality. This clearly shows their inability to recognize the priorities of this market segment. As a stakeholder in apparel companies, now is the time to expect corporations to adhere to these values and hold them accountable for their actions. One way to act on this is would be to do more  research before making a purchase decision. Another way to act right now would be to sign this petition that demands H&M's transparency and pushes for their garment factory workers to be paid what they deserve.