Zara

In the first place, in terms of denotative analysis, during November Zara made a total of 51 publications. The types of publications were 36 images, 14 videos, and 1 text. Throughout this month there was only 1 day (11/21/2019) where their publications referred to sustainability to some extent. This day they published 3 images promoting the “Recycle” collection. As for the words that refer to sustainability in the caption, the following words are repeated: recycle, new life, recovered, and environment. And on corporate social responsibility in the publications, they mention how the products are recovered, washed, classified, and tested, collaborating with recycling, using processes to reduce water and energy consumption. The only two hashtags they use are #joinlife and #recycle in all 3 posts. This can be summed up in that only 5.9% of all the publications in November refer to the subject in question. Just as only 5.9% use sustainable words, CSR words, and hashtags about sustainability. And 1.96% use an image referring to sustainability, in the case of Zara is 1 video where they talk about how the recycling process works in factories.

On the other hand, for the connotative analysis, we have extrapolated the following data on the nature of the images in the publications: 63% are classified as interior images (photoshoot), 21% exterior (urban environment), and lastly, 12% are images taken outdoors or with nature present. This tells us that the majority of their images are taken in photoshoots to promote the products and the new collections, always looking for sale. It can be seen through their social networks that this brand has characteristics of fast fashion: the frequency of publications is 1.7 times a day and in the vast majority a new article belonging to a new collection is shown, which reflects the speed and production capacity of the brand.

It should be noted that Zara specializes more in clothes for daily use, urban, or nighttime, etc. than sportswear or clothes to use in nature, which would explain the lack of outdoor images. It is curious that several of the images in nature promote animal skin shoes, thus showing that they do not commit to animal welfare (Animal Fairtrade).

Regarding the 3 publications where they talk about their recycled collection, the debate revolves around giving a new life to the feathers used for jackets. The video and the caption describe the process they carry out to achieve this and communicate how they comply with energy and water-saving processes to take care of the environment. The video shows the factory where this process is supposedly carried out. The sensation transmitted by the video is similar to that of the movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", it is very romanticized and shows a peaceful and quiet environment, one of the reasons is because no one is shown working in the factory. This makes one wonder if they are hiding the workers and the location of the factory so as not to show the working conditions in which they carry out their work, the social group, etc.

Lastly, despite releasing the line "Recycle" that aims to show their commitment to climate change, on November 29th, Zara did not make any publication. We, therefore, understand that they do not have a real commitment to the environment and that they avoid publishing on that date so as not to generate any type of reaction from the public since it also coincides with Black Friday. In contrast, we can think that it is positive that they did not refer to Black Friday in their publications, without encouraging consumerism more.

HM

In the first place, regarding the total publications, HM publishes considerably more than Zara, adding a total of 86 publications in November, which translates to an average of 2.9 times a day. Of these, 72 were images and 14 videos. During the month there was only 1 day (11/25/2019) in which sustainability was referred to, where they promoted the “conscious skincare products”, a conscious beauty line. As data, we can obtain that 1.2% of the publications of November are related to sustainability, using words that we categorize as sustainable. On the other hand, on no occasion is a hashtag used on the subject in question, nor an image or video that addresses the problem.

Secondly, regarding the interpretive analysis, it must be said that 72% of the images or videos are taken indoors, which are made up of photographs of individual articles or photoshoots with models, and in many cases, they use as resources celebrities like Kendall Jenner or Chiara Ferragni. Furthermore, 26% of the content is created on the exterior where they tend to promote a new collection or for people to see the articles in a real and everyday environment. Finally, only 2% of the publications showed nature.

On the other hand, it must be added that the only time where they publish about the new conscious beauty line, they do not include in the caption any information about the line, why it is conscious, and how it helps the planet. Given this, it seems like a case of greenwashing, where they try to give the impression that they are sustainable products with the use of associated words (such as conscious) but with a commercial purpose.

At the same time, throughout the month they launch new products and collections for Christmas, almost a month before the holiday. It can be concluded, therefore, that they excessively promote consumerism despite being the time when more is bought and as a consequence, there are very high pollution and waste peaks.

Finally, add that on November 29^th they published 3 images, but they did not refer to the movement that was emerging around the world but promoted new articles.

Patagonia

Patagonia is very different from the other three analyzed brands by various factors that we will explain below. It has a slower publication frequency, a total of 27 publications in November, an average of 0.9 times per day. The type of content of the publications is 20 images, 6 videos, and 1 graphic with text. We found that sustainability and CSR were referenced in captions 27% of the time. On only one occasion they use a hashtag, and it is #wornwear, a program or service for repairs and recycling of products that Patagonia offers.

The words they use in the captions cover many topics such as the place of production of their articles (local), the certificates of commitment to the environment and animals (Paris Climate Accord), the material from which the products are made (organic cotton, natural fabrics, used-garments), the technique they use to manufacture and design them (wornwear, recrafted, recycled, renorepair), and the behavior or values they try to educate (passing things down).

We can add that 26% of the time, the image or video has a very direct reference to sustainability, either because it was an explanatory video about how they create clothes from recycled bottles or the image with a text from the CEO of Patagonia where he communicates his concern that the US is no longer part of the Paris Agreement that protects and fights against climate change.

Regarding the interpretive analysis, we see that all the images of Patagonia are taken in nature, doing sports, or working outdoors, reflecting the values of the brand. In no image is a particular product promoted, rather they are very natural photographs of everyday people using the products in real situations. In fact, the vast majority of photos are large general shots where nature takes more prominence. The person usually comes second and the articles occupy the background since in most cases the logo of the brand is not seen or the photo is taken from such a distance that it is not possible to distinguish if they are carrying a product of Patagonia. Also, on many occasions, the caption does not refer to the products but to the sports activity that is being carried out or to the destination where the photo is taken.

It should also be added that after analyzing the images, in 30% of the cases they promote a product or collection directly and when they do, they report on how the product was created, the materials, or its characteristics, distinctive of slow fashion, like durability for example.

On the other hand, the type of content also indicates to us the transparency that the company has with its actions and its consumers, they have strong values and use their voice to generate change. Like the aforementioned statement by its CEO where he expresses his growing concern that the US is not part of the Paris Agreement or in educational videos where they try to educate consumers about the life cycle of their products.

Regarding the videos, only 1 of the 6 makes direct reference to the consumers of Patagonia's products, it was published on 11/15/2019, and instead of talking about production, the video deals with the brand's philosophy. It is a video that follows a “storytelling” narrative where two friends of about 15 years of age tell their relationship with sports, nature, and the importance of not needing so much, but of passing on what they have learned from generation to generation and how they have always done the same with their clothes. Patagonia products have a history, they have brands that are childhood memories, they are garments that their mothers wore, and emphasize the added value that the brand gives to clothing.

Another of the videos deals with the service mentioned above, Worn Wear, here the workers of this Patagonia repair factory themselves talk about the history behind Worn Wear, slow fashion, giving clothes a new life, reusing, recreate, etc. And do all this without the need to use another resource of the planet that is not the resource of people and their labor. They all share the same philosophy, which is the opposite of fast fashion; they are workers who give importance to things and want to make a better world. In fact, in this case, Patagonia joins with Swey, a brand specialized in the reconstruction of used items, to make a new collection of garments that were not repairable. As a result of using every last resort, you could buy a jacket made from 6 used jackets. Another of the videos they publish is a continuation of the one described above, this one continues talking about Worn Wear but emphasizing the impact of the fashion industry on the environment, it tries to be an educational video to justify the value of Worn Wear.

Similar to these two videos, they also publish a video in illustration format about their “better sweaters” where they explain the study of the life cycle of the product starting by using recyclable bottles and waste from landfills that are decomposed and then converted into materials with which to create the sweatshirts.

Finally, on November 29^th they publish another informative video where they launch a donation program that will be open from that day until December 31^st, spanning from Black Friday to the end of Christmas. With this video, they want consumers to give their loved ones, donations to movements and organizations that fight for climate change and the environment, instead of going out to buy in stores. Basically, they want people to be more aware when buying or giving gifts at the most consumerist time of the year.

Ecoalf

Ecoalf's behavior is very different from Patagonia's. The frequency of publication of Ecoalf is very similar to that of Patagonia, with a total of 32 publications, which translates to 1.06 times a day. Of these, 2 were videos, 1 text, and 29 publications were images, of which 2 showed the Ecoalf team. The last 6 publications, in the week of Black Friday and Strike for climate, consisted of images with statistics of the effect of the textile industry on the planet to promote the education of people on the subject.

On the other hand, 100% of the publications use a word that refers to sustainability or CSR. We note that Ecoalf is very focused on manufacturing their own products and the extent to which they do so. Their slogan is "there is no planet B" and it is repeated in almost all publications. They also emphasize innovation, concern for future generations, protecting the planet, recycling, reducing the carbon and ecological footprint, or with some products they communicate that they are vegan and certified by PETA. In 97% of the publications, they use the hashtag #becausethereisnoplanetb, on only one occasion they do not use a hashtag, and on another, they use the hashtag #RecyclingBlackFriday, which is when they publish the text with the words "Act now" on 11/10/2019 to report on the strike against climate change on November 21^st in Berlin and on November 29^th in Madrid where they will join. It should also be noted that 31% of the time the images directly refer to sustainability and that on the rest of occasions (69%) the images are directly promoting a product.

Now, if we talk about the connotative analysis, Ecoalf generally promotes their products a lot, since they are usually images taken in a photoshoot, in a professional environment where they intend to show the characteristics of the product or models wearing the products, unlike Patagonia where they show a lifestyle. Even so, on all occasions, Ecoalf is transparent with consumers explaining the sustainable materials from which the products are made. On the other hand, on the occasions in which it promotes children's collections, they emphasize generating the change for future generations, and in all cases, the children wear clothes with the slogan “there is no planet B”.

In general, they communicate their commitment to help the planet and find innovative solutions, serve as a means of dissemination, and educate the world, besides helping hundreds of educational institutions and foundations that fight to protect the environment and take care of the planet. Another of the recurring themes throughout November is that of RecyclingBlackFriday, where they show their stand against a day that only promotes consumerism and they decide not to participate as a brand on Black Friday, but to take to the streets to protest against climate change in the two stores they have in Madrid and Berlin. On November 24^th, a few days before the Black Friday celebration, they publish an educational video where they show images of the great repercussions that the fashion industry has on the environment, photos of factories, pollution, etc.; and where they explain why they will not participate.

From that day until the end of the month, Ecoalf publishes a series of images with statistics on the reality of the textile industry and always accompanied by the message “educate yourself”. We can see how the brand presents their commitment to the environment and during that week they do not publish anything promoting their products but rather trying to educate consumers about the impact that our actions have, no matter how minimal they may seem. To exemplify this, they used statistics such as "The average population only wears the same garment 7 times" or "It takes 2,700 liters of water to make a cotton shirt, approximately what a person drinks in 2.5 years".

Assess the product’s life cycle

Affirmatively, the environmental impact generated by the entire life cycle of the products is something of which both companies are aware and they continuously try to improve. Ecoalf, in recent months, has implemented more precise measures to control the environmental and social impact of their garments, in fact, next season it will be seen in the articles themselves, which will mean more transparency about the process and impact of each product and give more visibility so that consumers are aware of the effect of the fashion industry on the planet.

In the case of Patagonia, it is a company that tries to ensure that the entire production chain complies with the corresponding requirements and certifications, always following what they communicate and continuously seeking to minimize the impact. Furthermore, the Worn Wear branch tries to preserve quality products and materials and keep them in circulation. Moreover, Patagonia has what is considered the largest textile repair factory in the US so that buyers can send the products for repair if they are damaged over time. Even so, in that factory, they only have about 80 workers, which reflects that the products are very high quality because the repairs are minimal.

Assess the opinion on fast fashion

Patagonia defends that they are a small company compared to HM or Inditex, which are giants in the market. If these, for example, make only 5% of their fashion lines made of sustainable materials, it may seem little compared to Patagonia, whose percentage would be much higher, but globally speaking, 5% in HM is much more than everything that Patagonia does because of the volume of the company. Moreover, at no time do they disparage fast fashion companies, but add that, if companies like these can move their finger, however minimal it may seem, it has a great impact on a global level and that is something that must be considered positive for the industry. On the other hand, the interviewee argues that, although the reasons why fast fashion companies carry out sustainable actions may have a different purpose than Patagonia, it continues to be something positive since it brings these issues to the commercial market and can give voice to issues faster than Patagonia, which could take years to achieve it due to less capacity.

Ecoalf, like Patagonia, also affirms that any action that is carried out will always be positive. But Ecoalf adds that these actions have to be developed with criteria, it is necessary to think about the entire production chain and not just one aspect or action. They state that it is probably greenwashing but that if companies see that these sustainable actions translate into sales and that it is positively accepted by customers, they will end up investing resources in being more sustainable and committing to the environment, which would be positive. Finally, they suggest that customers also have to be aware and know how to have criteria when buying so as not to fall into greenwashing strategies, in fact, they give as an example that if a label says recycled polyester it is 5%, and the rest is conventional polyester, it does not make much of a difference, but it is also the job of consumers to educate themselves and be responsible when buying.

Assess the price factor

Regarding the price factor, both interviewees answer the question practically the same way, consumers have to become aware and understand that if a shirt costs 5 euros, as is the case of fast fashion companies, someone or something is paying for the remaining value of the product. It is about setting a fair price that meets standards that protect the environment and all the people involved in the product's value chain. If all companies were transparent and consumers could see on their labels everything behind a single garment to pay, it would make prices more justifiable.

Another issue that both companies also share is that of educating the population to reduce their purchase frequency and carry out responsible consumption. We have to learn to live with less and higher quality: nobody needs to have 7 coats in the closet, and if people put this into practice, the slow fashion industry could sustain itself in the long term, as they would be happy to buy a quality coat at a fair price and knowing that it has much greater durability.

Assess the quality factor

In the following interview question, it is intended to see if awareness of sustainable fashion principles could change the consumer attitude of most people. Both brands argue that sustainability education is key to changing people's habits, but that the fashion industry is only one part of the entire spectrum and needs to be applied as much as possible to all aspects of our daily life.

Ecoalf also adds that for this market adoption to be successful, it is also necessary to give importance to the design and quality of the garments, so that consumers can wear them with pride. Patagonia, on the other hand, defends that their designs do not vary much from season to season since they seek to make timeless designs, and durability is one of the factors that the brand gives more importance to. In fact, Nicholas Allen quotes "the jacket that has gone through the repair factory several times is probably my favorite garment because it has history and charisma."

Both Patagonia and Ecoalf affirm that neither is perfect, at the end of the day they are a company that sells products and these have an impact on the environment. But within "the bad" they try to find innovative solutions that consume less water, less energy, etc., serve as an example to other companies, and educate people. In the case of Patagonia, they do not even consider themselves as a fashion company, but activists who fight to take care of our planet. Both agree that dressing is a human need, but Ecoalf emphasizes "many years have passed since that need was "met" and now we find ourselves in excessive consumption of garments". In conclusion, responsible citizens are needed who value quality over quantity.

Assess the cost of production

Finally, we asked if slow fashion can be commercially viable for people with less financial capacity and if slow fashion could satisfy the demand of a future environmentally conscious market. Ecoalf assures that one of the reasons why prices are higher in the present is because the industry is dominated by fast fashion and they are the ones who win, but if we lived in an environmentally conscious market and those who try to do well were awarded, the production costs would be standardized and it would become more accessible to the market. Even so, it is reiterated about consumption: you do not need 7 coats but 1 of quality that lasts several years, and they defend that despite the initial effort, in the long term you save by not throwing it away and buying a new one.

In these lines, Patagonia says how everyone remembers their “Don’t buy this jacket” campaign, it was one of the actions that probably had the most impact and the idea behind it was exactly that, if you don't need it, don't buy it. They also argue that there is something that brands cannot control and that is how people decide to consume their products, but what they always try to communicate is: “don't buy it if you don't need it and if you have a garment and it works, repair it; and if you have to buy something, buy an already used or recycled garment, try to exhaust all the possibilities before making an impulsive purchase”. And, finally, if you are going to go shopping, consider using the best materials you can and buying in a place where environmental and animal welfares are taken care of in all aspects of the supply chain. They conclude that if it costs a little more, instead of buying 10 t-shirts at 7 euros, you can buy 1 t-shirt for 35 euros, knowing that it is made with organic cotton and in a fair-trade factory.