Fashion Industry in the Context of Sustainable Development: Eco-Products, Conscious Consumption and Management

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

Fashion Industry in the Context of Sustainable Development: Eco-Products, Conscious Consumption and Management

Oleksandra Kulakova, Olena Kostiuchenko, Olena Tymoshenko

Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, Kyiv, Ukraine

Abstract: Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the need to select management tools for the formation of environmentally conscious consumption of the fashion industry products, which is developing dynamically and rapidly, which will contribute to the preservation of the resource potential of not only the country but also the planet as a whole. Purpose and methods. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the role and importance of eco-products, conscious consumption, and management in the context of the fashion industry's sustainable development. The methodological basis of the study is an interdisciplinary approach to the consideration of the problem of managing the conscious consumption of eco-fashion products when its economic, environmental, technical, organizational, social, psychological, and physiological functions are realized in the relationship. Results. Perspective trends in the fashion industry development from the point of view of conscious rational and ecological consumption of clothing have been identified. The role of a socially responsible attitude to clothing production, which affects the ecology of the environment, is substantiated. The theoretical bases of sustainable development and progress of the Ukrainian fashion industry on the example of formation and promotion of Ukrainian designers' fashion brands are considered. Conclusions. As a result of the conducted study, the main motives for creating eco-products in the fashion industry, as well as the main environmental concepts, are outlined. The importance of choosing optimal tools and management strategies aimed at greening the production of eco -products was determined by the fashion industry enterprises. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the interdisciplinary deepening of the theoretical provisions of production management and conscious consumption of the fashion industry eco-products in the conditions of greening the public space.

Keywords: fashion industry, sustainable development, eco-products, conscious consumption, management.

Introduction

The problem formulation. In recent decades, Ukraine has had a largely negative image, demanding for successful identification in the world socioeconomic space the creation of its own cultural narrative and, at the same time, without a coherent policy in the sustainable development field. It should be noted that the tasks of sustainable development are the need to create a new system that would ensure social welfare, environmental security, economic efficiency from carrying out the transformations. Achieving the main tasks of sustainable development also requires ensuring the state's presence in the information space, broadcasting national initiatives and decisions, improving the state's competitiveness in the world and trust in it, increasing investment. The implementation of these tasks is carried out through soft power.

Fashion is the principal sphere of the creative industry, one of the promising areas of economic growth and innovative development of the country in the national economic development context.

The concept of “sustainable development” was first discussed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1982, in a report by Gro Harlem Brundtland (three times Prime Minister of Norway, in 1998-2003 - Director of the World Health Organization), which identified three fundamental bases of sustainable development: environment, economy, and society. American scientist Jr. Nye (2008) proposed the terms “soft powef' and “hard power” (p. 10). The very concept of “soft power” is based on influence and attractiveness, and the fashion industry has both of these signs: it transmits public sentiment and global trends, attracts attention, and arouses interest, like all creative industries. At the same time, sustainable fashion is the process of creating, producing, distributing, and consuming clothing, taking into account the preservation of the environment, the ethical use of human labor and animals, as well as supporting a “healthy” economy.

Currently, there is a need to clarify the modern economic realities that require solving the urgent problems of environmental production and consumption of the fashion industry products, its competitive positions in the market, and increasing the profitability of activities, as well as identifying optimal management strategies aimed at greening eco-products. The following main elements of sustainable development in the fashion industry should be noted: 1) environmental friendliness of products and production (use of eco-fabrics, reduction of ecological footprint, without toxic chemical paints and components, etc.); 2) ethical treatment of workers in the field of industry (equality, decent working conditions, and remuneration, local production, support of crafts, transparency, etc.), as well as animals; 3) the economy is responsible for building a “healthy” economy (supporting the economy of the production region, creating conditions for high labor productivity, environmental and social initiatives leading to economic strengthening, etc.). Unfortunately, in the modern economic conditions of the fashion industry development in Ukraine, this is impossible in full, but it is effective management strategies that will contribute to the actualization, popularization of environmental production of eco-products, eco-responsibility, and conscious consumption by customers.

State study of the problem. The topic of eco-products ecological production, eco-responsibility, and conscious consumption of the fashion industry ecoproducts is almost not considered by domestic and foreign researchers and is mostly presented in publications in popular fashion magazines or media.

Various aspects of solving the problem are presented in the works of the following researchers: T. Solovei (2020) analyzes traditional culture and modern brands, trends in the creative industries; A. Voronkova (2019) considers fashion in the domestic political sphere:influences social consciousness, forms new patterns of behavior, constructs the appearance of the average citizen, promotes the spread of symbolism, and emphasizes that fashion trends push socialization agents to change forms activities and promote the emergence of new agents with new means of influencing society, thereby forming a social culture; N. Chuprina (2014) concludes that the vast majority of design and production companies, both multinational and local, are often limited to “greenwashing”, the so-called “green sheen” ^. 220), investing heavily in the development and implementation of eco-design elements in corporate identity of the company or its individual products, thereby demonstrating a more ethical attitude to environmental issues (unfortunately, most often such marketing techniques are only intended to increase sales).

Of course, the media, which covers the activities of the fashion industry, increasingly publish information that H&M brand creates a conscious collection made of organic cotton and recycled polyester; Puma has created the biodegradable collection InCycle; Adidas creates sustainable products; Zara opens eco-efficient stores; GAP is implementing a program to improve the living conditions of women workers in sewing shops. Although, as a rule, such techniques refer to “greenwashing” and not to the formation of fashion products “ethics”, as it is believed that the eco-design “sustainability” and “fast-fashion” consumption are incompatible.

On the other hand, as the experience of Greenpeace and other environmentally oriented organizations shows, a large number of consumers can influence the policies of fashion design brands of the fashion industry, whose products are used in everyday life (Chuprina, 2014).

The study of eco-concepts' formation in the field of the modern fashion industry is devoted to the works of such scientists as K. Halushka and N. Kondratenko (2020), S. Illiashenko (2012), T. Prymak (2011), O. Prokopenko (2006, 2008), N. Chuprina (2014), L. Claudio (2007).

However, the analysis was carried out by scientists mainly from the standpoint of determining the essence of “eco-products”, market segmentation of environmental products by consumer groups, the assessment of the specifics of consumer demand, and behavior motivation in the selected segments (Karpinskaya, 2011). The impact of eco-friendliness, eco-labeling as a sign of the main competitive advantage was also largely investigated (Skrypchuk, 2006).

Therefore, the trends of environmental friendliness and the creation of ethical fashion products are increasingly being implemented in the fashion industry. This trend is becoming more common but is more relevant to the social aspects of fashion consciousness than to the development of ethical fashion products and sustainable development formation.

Unresolved issues. It should be noted that the study of the factors of sustainable development of the fashion industry eco-products production and consumption, like any new trend, has its unresolved problems, remains a relevant and debatable topic in various applied aspects of management. There is a need to develop a new line of behavior for fashion companies - a return to naturality, responsibility, and morality in all senses, provided that sustainability becomes a new standard of consumer behavior. Complicating this problem solution is the impossibility of using alternative energy sources in production, including solar and wind energy, inefficient water consumption, unjustified use of harmful chemicals instead of waste reduction, recycling, and proper disposal. In addition, the fashion industry sphere in terms of eco-production and consumption almost does not receive support, which at the state level must be regulated by law. Active educational activities in the fashion industry in the context of sustainable development, namely eco-products, conscious and responsible consumption, and project management will help to solve this problem. There is a need for theoretical and empirical identification of effective ways to create conscious consumption of eco-products, environmental responsibility of enterprises and consumers, as well as their educational activities in the context of the fashion industry sustainable development.

fashion industry ecological consumption clothing socially responsible

1. Purpose and methods

The purpose and research tasks. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the role and importance of eco-products, conscious consumption, and management in the context of the fashion industry sustainable development.

Research tasks:

- to reveal the essence, significance, and possibilities of eco-products in the context of the fashion industry sustainable development;

- to find out the potential possibilities of rational use of limited resources, features of conscious consumption and management in the fashion industry;

- to identify tools for efficient and ecological use of resources, the environmental movement of a fashion product, sustainable fashion formation, increasing competitiveness, as well as educational activities of the fashion industry enterprises in Ukraine and the world.

Methodology and methods. The methodological basis of the study is interdisciplinary, and also systemic, comprehensive, and functional approaches to the problem of managing conscious consumption of eco-fashion products, when its aesthetic, economic, environmental, technical, organizational, social, psychological, and physiological functions are realized in the relationship.

To achieve the purpose and implement the research tasks, the following methods were used: dialectical method - when studying the general patterns of the eco-products market development at the stage of collecting information, organizing and processing data on the study of a particular fashion industry object in the context of sustainable development and conscious consumption; induction and deduction method - when forming the essence of the concepts of “eco-fashion”, “conscious consumption” and systematizing the functions of environmentally oriented production; classification method - when studying the major eco-trends; statistical and economic analysis methods - when assessing the willingness of consumers to pay a price premium for environmental products and identifying the potential opportunities for rational use of limited resources; synthesis and forecasting methods - to generalize ways of forming sustainable fashion and developing forecasts for the development of enterprises in the fashion industry.

Information base. The obtained results are based on theoretical and methodological developments presented in the publications of scientists on the socioeconomic and organizational direction of research of management features in the fashion industry, including monographs, theses, specialized periodicals, scientific conferences collections, historical and sociological reference, and information resources, the Internet resources, as well as analysis by authors of reports on events, changes, trends in eco-fashion. A synthesis of theoretical provisions sets practical dimensions of the formation of conscious and responsible consumption, production, and management in the fashion industry in Ukraine.

2. Results and discussion

Ukraine's path to sustainable development in the fashion industry

The process of the fashion industry functioning as a complex multicomponent activity aimed at disseminating fashion standards in society (strategy of the fashion industry functioning), as well as the creation, manufacture (production), distribution, and consumption of fashion product as a result of this activity (functioning tactics). The purpose of this activity is to fully or partially meet consumer demand for fashion products in the context of constant fashion innovations and features of modern market competition in this sector of the world economy, fashion brands formation, and their promotion (Kostiuchenko, 2017).

In the context of our research, under eco-products, we mean products, namely clothing using natural materials and innovative eco-technologies, the main context of which is to draw human attention to environmental and ethical issues of the world.

Ukraine is the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to start reaching the international level in the fashion field. In 1997, Ukrainian Fashion Week was founded, the first week of prкt-а-porter in the region. Similar events have appeared, for example, in Moscow (Russia, 1999), Riga (Latvia, 2004), and Prague (the Czech Republic, 2010). Fashion Week is the most common type of event in the fashion industry, which is an opportunity to promote new brands in fashion houses, discover talent, demonstrate modern global and national trends, use the latest technologies, implement ideas of sustainable development. Ukrainian Fashion Week (2020) is a landmark event for Central and Eastern Europe, where a significant place is given to the country of origin of a particular designer or brand. Every season, the organizing committee of this event invites to Kyiv journalists, and photographers of leading world publications, representatives of leading showrooms, and buyers to work with designers - event participants. In the late 2000s, journalist D. Shapovalova initiated the creation of Kyiv Fashion Days. The founder of the fashion show managed to attract such a reliable strategic partner as “Mercedes-Benz” to collaborate, turning Fashion Days into “Mercedes-Benz Kyiv Fashion Days” (Zhelyabin, n.d.). At the initiative of Ukrainian Fashion Week in 2018, the International Young Designers Contest was held in Ukraine for the first time. Holding this event in Kyiv, confirmed Ukraine's leadership in the fashion industry of Central and Eastern Europe.

In the authoritative Forbes (2018) magazine, the article “Evolution of Ukrainian Fashion” on the development of Ukrainian fashion concluded: “Ukraine has a lot to say”. According to the famous fashion journalist S. Rabimov (2017), the city of Kyiv is becoming a “global fashion magnet” that absorbs the cultural influences of East and West, causing great interest among professionals in the fashion industry. It is worth emphasizing that Kyiv has really become a kind of fashion capital in the region. Ukrainian Fashion Week, Kyiv Fashion Days, Mercedes-Benz Kyiv Fashion Days were the events that regularly promoted Ukrainian fashion on international markets, and broadcast the world's message about Ukraine as a modern state in which talented and creative individuals live and work. Despite the difficulties in conducting such shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic fashion stakeholders in the fashion sphere managed to implement several projects in 2020. In November 2020, the world-famous Vogue UA magazine presented the collection publication О. Chekhnii and D. Slobodianyk (2020) “Ukrainian Women in Vogue ua”, which tells about successful Ukrainian women - heads of cultural institutions and founders of charitable foundations, writers and publishers, businesswomen and public figures, actresses and artists, musicians, and ballet dancers, sportswomen and models, fashion designers and photographers. All the book heroines are known not only in Ukraine but also abroad, worthily representing our country.

Ukraine does not stand aside from global environmental trends. The well- known publication, The New York Times, in 2019 invited Ukrainian designer K. Schnaider (Ukrinform, 2019) to take part in a round table on sustainable fashion development. It is known that the fashion industry harms the environment, in particular, carbon emissions are now an important environmental problem. The KSENIASCHNAIDER brand manifesto is an eco-conscious approach, in particular the practice of using recycled denim.

The concept of the Ukrainian Fashion Week event, which took place from August 31 to September 3, 2020, in the “NO SEASON Season” format, aimed to promote the development of three areas: support for young designers, sustainable fashion development, and international creative collaboration. As part of the event, the professional international event “BE SUSTAINABLE!” was held, the purpose of which was to increase the level of expertise in the field of sustainable development of Ukrainian designers and clothing manufacturers. “BE SUSTAINABLE!” Fashion Summit became the educational part of the proj ect for the second time, and it is the largest international conference dedicated to the development of sustainable fashion in Ukraine. The principal theme of the event was the circular economy and the digital future of sustainable fashion. In November 2020, the Ukrainian Fashion Week team, with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, presented “Action: Sustainable Fashion”, a project of social advertising and education that tells about the modern values of the Ukrainian fashion industry. The project aims to broadcast the success stories of Ukrainian responsible fashion to the world and popularize them as future inspiration for the international community. In particular, the project focuses on promoting sustainable development ideas and promoting the progress of the Ukrainian fashion industry in this area on the example of sustainable development of Ukrainian designers brands.

Based on the analysis of the scientific literature (Agafonova, 2011; Chuprina, 2014; Nikolayeva, 2013), the essence of eco-fashion was revealed through its functional purpose in meeting the needs of consumers of its products. Table 1 groups the main functions of eco-fashion in the modern world.

Let us highlight the essential criteria and principles of eco-products in the fashion industry:

- environmental friendliness and naturalness of the material, its raw material composition;

- environmentally friendly technologies for the production and processing of materials;

- careful use of natural and human resources (reducing);

- harmless materials for consumer health;

- safety in the use of products, equipment, scenery; no harm to health;

- ease and safety of disposal, reuse of materials with minimal environmental damage.

Table 1. Functions of eco-fashion in the modern world