Fashion without pollution: How consumers evaluate brands after an NGO campaign aimed at reducing toxic chemicals in the fashion industry

Silvia Grappi,Simona Romani,Camilla Barbarossa

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.02.183

Abstract

This research analyzes the effects on consumer responses of an NGO campaign (Greenpeace’s 2011 Detox campaign), aimed at reducing toxic chemicals in the manufacturing processes and final products of fashion brands. The proposed model explains and tests the mechanisms underlying negative consumer reactions to the fashion brands that are the focus of NGO campaigns. The findings illustrate the mediating role that consumers’ evaluations of brand blame play in their attitude towards such brands and subsequent purchase intentions. Two relevant moderators – (1) consumer reasons for justifying brands’ unethical behavior in the market and (2) the decision of certain brands to comply with the NGO campaign’s requests – play a significant part in the mediation mechanism. These findings make original contributions to theory and have important implications for consumers, companies, and NGOs, because they provide fresh insights into understanding, and handling effectively, consumer reactions to NGO campaigns aimed at reducing the use of toxic chemicals in the fashion industry.

Highlights

Recent research shows that an increasing number of consumers take the “politics behind the products” (Micheletti, 2003) into account when they make purchase decisions (Sassatelli, 2006; Stolle and Micheletti, 2013), and that these decisions are driven by moral rationale and pro-environmental motivation (Hoffmann and Hutter, 2012; Klein et al, 2004)
This paper investigates the effects that a specific non-governmental organizations (NGOs) campaign had on consumer responses to brands in the fashion industry
2.3 The moderating effect of a brand’s compliance with the NGO’s campaign In previous sections, we argued that consumer attribution of blame negatively affects consumer attitudes towards the faulty brand and subsequent purchase intentions (Klein and Dawar, 2004)

Summary

Introduction

Recent research shows that an increasing number of consumers take the “politics behind the products” (Micheletti, 2003) into account when they make purchase decisions (Sassatelli, 2006; Stolle and Micheletti, 2013), and that these decisions are driven by moral rationale and pro-environmental motivation (Hoffmann and Hutter, 2012; Klein et al, 2004). NGO campaigns tend to use denunciatory tactics (Balsiger, 2010; 2014) to promote ethical practices in the market (i.e., reducing toxic chemicals in manufacturing processes and final products) (Chen et al, 2014; Thorpe, 1994; 2011) Using such tactics means accusing brands of misconduct (i.e., publicly reporting a company’s misconduct), demanding remedial actions (i.e., offering the company at fault a chance to accept the NGO’s requests and eliminate the source of the problem), and inviting consumers to make a “green, ethical, and/or conscious choice” when making buying decisions by evaluating (and reacting to) the company’s behavior (i.e., they invite consumers to refrain from purchasing the brand if the brand decides not to comply with the campaign’s requests).

The context: the NGO Detox campaign

Findings

Results