The bright side of fashion: Environmental and social sustainability in the south of Italy
Jean M. Jimenez
University of Calabria, ItalyJean M. Jimenez (PhD) is an Associate Professor of English Language, Translation, and Linguistics in the Department of Culture, Education, and Society (DiCES) at the University of Calabria, Italy. She currently coordinates the degree course in Linguistic Mediation and is a member of the Faculty Board of the PhD program Politica, Cultura e Sviluppo (Field of study: Language Analysis and Interdisciplinary Studies). Her research interests include Corpus Linguistics, English for Specific Purposes (particularly Business English and Tourism Discourses), Corrective Feedback in CALL, and Language Testing. She has presented her work at conferences across Europe and North America, including invited talks at the Institute of Education, University of London, and the Escuela Nacional de Lenguas, Lingüística y Traducción, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0038-2558
Vanessa Marcella
University of Calabria, Italy
Vanessa Marcella is holding a research grant in Corpus Linguistics at the University of Calabria within a national research project PRIN2022 “European Language Centres as a multilingual community of practice: A multimodal discourse analysis of academic, cultural and social growth conveyed through the language of websites”. She is also Adjunct Professor at the Department of Culture, Education and Society, where she teaches English for Academic Purposes and English for Specific Purposes. She earned a PhD in Politics, Culture and Development with emphasis on English Linguistics. Her research focuses on language variation in climate change communication, and analysis of academic, cultural and social discourse.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9229-658X
Abstract
Growing societal and academic concern regarding environmental damage has led the fashion industry to engage more with sustainability (Li et al., 2024). This paper examines Il Nido di Seta, a small fashion and agricultural cooperative in southern Italy, which has initiated a regenerative silk production program and has recently developed a collaborative project with Gucci. The study investigates Il Nido di Seta’s ecological language, addressing themes related to global fashion, ecotourism, and regional enhancement. Based on a corpus of texts from the cooperative’s website as well as texts from Gucci’s Equilibrium Impact Report 2022 and sections of the Kering Report which refer to their collaboration with Il Nido di Seta, this research analyses ecological discourse and assesses how these topics appear on Il Nido di Seta’s Instagram posts (N=363) from 2019 to 2024. Through corpus linguistics, content analysis, and framing analysis, the study explores term frequency, content alignment, and how ecological messages are conveyed multimodally on social media.
Keywords:
sustainable fashion, ecological discourse, Instagram, website communication, multimodality, content analysis, framesReferences
Adamkiewicz, J., Kochańska, E., Adamkiewicz, I., & Łukasik, R. M. (2022). Greenwashing and sustainable fashion industry. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 38, 100710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2022.100710
Alizadeh, L., Liscio, M. C., & Sospiro, P. (2024). The phenomenon of greenwashing in the fashion industry: A conceptual framework. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy, 37, 101416.
Baker, P. (2006). Using corpora in discourse analysis. Continuum.
Bandura, A., & Wessels, S. (1997). Self–efficacy. Cambridge University Press.
Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist, 28(2), 117–148.
Battle, A., Davies, I., Glozer, S., & McDonagh, P. (2019). Sustainable fashion: Current and future research directions. European Journal of Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-02-2019-0132
Bellucci, M., & Manetti, G. (2017). Facebook as a tool for supporting dialogic accounting? Evidence from large philanthropic foundations in the United States. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 30(4), 874–905.
Belova, A. D. (2022). Sustainable fashion in the English language mirror. Cognition, Communication, Discourse, 25, 9–18.
Bocken, N. M. P., Short, S. W., Rana, P., & Evans, S. (2016). A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, 42–56.
Brundtland, G. (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our common future. United Nations General Assembly document A/42/427. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/139811
Caniato, F., Caridi, M., Crippa, L., & Moretto, A. (2012). Environmental sustainability in fashion supply chains: An exploratory case based research. International Journal of Production Economics, 135(2), 659–670.
Carroll, A. B. (2008). A history of corporate social responsibility: Concepts and practices. In A. Crane, A. McWilliams, D. Matten, J. Moon & D. S. Siegel (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of corporate social responsibility (pp. 19–46). Oxford University Press.
Charter, M., Peattie, K., Ottman, J., & Polonsky, M. J. (2002). Marketing and sustainability. Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS). Cardiff University.
Chen, H. L., & Burns, L. D. (2006). Environmental analysis of textile products. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 24(3), 248–261.
European Commission. (2022). Corporate social responsibility directive. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022L2464
Dickenbrok, C., & Martinez, L. F. (2018). Communicating green fashion across different cultures and geographical regions. International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 15(2), 127–141.
Dyllick, T., & Hockerts, K. (2002). Beyond the business case for corporate sustainability. Business Strategy and the Environment, 11(2), 130–141. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.323
Du, S., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2010). Maximizing business returns to corporate social responsibility (CSR): The role of CSR communication. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(2), 8–20.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF). (2017). A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s future. https://emf.thirdlight.com/file/24/uiwtaHvud8YIG_uiSTauTlJH74/A%20New%20Textiles%20Economy%3A%20Redesigning%20fashion%E2%80%99s%20future.pdf
Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of communication, 43(4), 51–58.
European Parliament & Council of the European Union. (2022, December 14). Directive (EU) 2022/2464 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on the establishment of the European Union framework for the regulation of digital operational resilience for the financial sector (DORA). EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022L2464
Fletcher, K. (2010). Slow fashion: An invitation for systems change. Fashion Practice, 2(2), 259–266.
Fletcher, K. (2014). Sustainable fashion and textiles: Design journeys (2nd ed.). Earthscan.
Galati, A., Sakka, G., Crescimanno, M., Tulone, A., & Fiore, M. (2019). What is the role of social media in several overtones of CSR communication? The case of the wine industry in the Southern Italian regions. British Food Journal, 21(4), 856–873.
Global Reporting Initiatives. (2013). Reporting principles and standard disclosures. https://www.globalreporting.org
Grazzini, L., Rodrigo, P., Aiello, G., & Viglia, G. (2018). Loss or gain? The role of message framing in hotel guests’ recycling behaviour. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(11), 1944–1966.
Henninger, C. E., Alevizou, P. J., & Oates, C. J. (2016). What is sustainable fashion? Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management 20(4), 400–416. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-07-2015-0052
Jackson, G., Bartosch, J., Avetisyan, E., Kinderman, D., & Knudsen, J. S. (2020). Mandatory non-financial disclosure and its influence on CSR: An international comparison. Journal of Business Ethics, 162(2), 323–342.
Jimenez, G. C., & Pulos, E. (2016). Good corporation, bad corporation: Corporate social responsibility in the global economy. Oxford University Press.
Jimenez, J. M. & Ruffolo, I. (2024). A comparative content and linguistic analysis of stakeholder engagement disclosure within the Fast Fashion Industry. The whos and whats of website communication. Iperstoria, 24, forthcoming.
Jones, P., Hillier, D., & Comfort, D. (2014). Sustainability in the global hotel industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(1), 5–17.
Joy, A., Sherry Jr., J. F., Venkatesh, A., Wang, J., & Chan, R. (2012). Fast fashion, sustainability, and the ethical appeal of luxury brands. Fashion Theory, 16(3), 273–295.
Khorsand, D. B., Wang, X., Ryding, D., & Vignali, G. (2023). Greenwashing in the fashion industry: Definitions, consequences, and the role of digital technologies in enabling consumers to spot greenwashing. In M. Brandstrup, L. P. Dana, D. Ryding, G. Vignali & M. Caratù (Eds.), The garment economy. Springer Texts in Business and Economics. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33302-6_6
Koskela, M., & Crawford Camiciottoli, B. (2020). Different paths from transparency to trust? A comparative analysis of Finnish and Italian listed companies’ investor relations communication practices. Studies in Communication Sciences, 20(1), 59–76.
Kozlowski, A., Bardecki, M., & Searcy, C. (2012). Environmental impacts in the fashion industry: A life–cycle and stakeholder framework. Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 45, 17–36.
Kwon, K., & Lee, J. (2021). Corporate social responsibility advertising in social media: A content analysis of the fashion industry’s CSR advertising on Instagram. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 26(4), 700–715.
Li, J., Li, Y., & Fan, C. (2024). A performance evaluation system for product eco–design in the fashion supply chain. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140716.
Manetti, G. & Bellucci, M. (2016). The use of social media for engaging stakeholders in sustainability reporting. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 29(6), 985–1011.
Mickelsson, J., van Haren J.J.G.M & Lemmink, J.G.A.M. (2023). Wrinkles in a CSR story: mismatched agendas in fast fashion service brands’ CSR reputation. Journal of Service Management, 34(2), 256–273.
Neu, D., Warsame, H., & Pedwell, K. (1998). Managing public impressions: Environmental disclosures in annual reports. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 23(3), 265–282. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0361-3682(97)00008-1.
Niinimäki, K., & Hassi, L. (2011). Emerging design strategies in sustainable production and consumption of textiles and clothing. Journal of Cleaner Production, 19(16), 1876–1883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.04.020
Reimers, V., Magnuson, B. & Chao, F. (2016). The academic conceptualisation of ethical clothing Could it account for the attitude behaviour gap? Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 20(4), 383–399.
Stibbe, A. (2012). Ecolinguistics and globalization. In N. Coupland (Ed.), The handbook of language and globalization (pp. 413–418). John Wiley & Sons.
SustainAbility (2004). Gearing Up: From Corporate Responsibility to Good Governance and Scalable Solutions. Sustainability, London.
The Business of Fashion & McKinsey & Company. (2017). The state of fashion 2018. https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/retail/our%20insights/renewed%20optimism%20for%20the%20fashion%20industry/the-state-of-fashion-2018-final.pdf
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E
Whelan, T., & Fink, C. (2016, October 21). The comprehensive business case for sustainability. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/10/the-comprehensive-business-case-for-sustainability
White, K., Macdonnell, R., & Dahl, D. W. (2011). It’s the mind-set that matters: The role of construal level and message framing in influencing consumer efficacy and conservation behaviors. Journal of Marketing Research, 48(3), 472–485. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.48.3.472
World Business Council for Sustainable Development. (2002). Toward a sustainable cement industry. https://docs.wbcsd.org/2002/03/TowardSustainableCementIndustry.pdf
Zappavigna, M. (2011). Ambient affiliation: A linguistic perspective on Twitter. New Media & Society, 13(5), 788-806. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444810385097
Zhang, B., Zhang, Y., & Zhou, P. (2021). Consumer attitude towards sustainability of fast fashion products in the UK. Sustainability, 13(4), Article 41646. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041646
Zhao, L., Lee, S.H., Li, M., & Sun, P. (2022). The use of social media to promote sustainable fashion and benefit communications: A data–mining approach. Sustainability, 14, 1178. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031178
University of Calabria, Italy
Jean M. Jimenez (PhD) is an Associate Professor of English Language, Translation, and Linguistics in the Department of Culture, Education, and Society (DiCES) at the University of Calabria, Italy. She currently coordinates the degree course in Linguistic Mediation and is a member of the Faculty Board of the PhD program Politica, Cultura e Sviluppo (Field of study: Language Analysis and Interdisciplinary Studies). Her research interests include Corpus Linguistics, English for Specific Purposes (particularly Business English and Tourism Discourses), Corrective Feedback in CALL, and Language Testing. She has presented her work at conferences across Europe and North America, including invited talks at the Institute of Education, University of London, and the Escuela Nacional de Lenguas, Lingüística y Traducción, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0038-2558University of Calabria, Italy
Vanessa Marcella is holding a research grant in Corpus Linguistics at the University of Calabria within a national research project PRIN2022 “European Language Centres as a multilingual community of practice: A multimodal discourse analysis of academic, cultural and social growth conveyed through the language of websites”. She is also Adjunct Professor at the Department of Culture, Education and Society, where she teaches English for Academic Purposes and English for Specific Purposes. She earned a PhD in Politics, Culture and Development with emphasis on English Linguistics. Her research focuses on language variation in climate change communication, and analysis of academic, cultural and social discourse.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9229-658X
