Sustainable clothing consumption_in_the_netherlan-groen_kennisnet_504788

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Master Thesis
Sustainable clothing
consumption in The Netherlands
Consumer strategies to change the fashion system
Margriet Goossensen
Environmental Policy Group
MSc Environmental Sciences
Wageningen University & Research
March 2019

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Sustainable clothing
consumption in The Netherlands
Consumer strategies to change the fashion system
Margriet Goossensen
950408270110
MSc Thesis
Environmental Policy Group
Master program: Environmental Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Machiel Lamers
Date: March 8 2019

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’’Become an active citizen through your wardrobe.’’
- Livia Firth

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Foreword & Acknowledgements
When I applied for my Master Environmental Sciences at Wageningen University and Research, I had
a broad interest in the social aspects of environmental sciences. How can we make the world more
sustainable, and get everyone involved in this process? This was a very ambitious question, and the
courses I followed and projects I did gave me tools to understand it more profoundly. I hope that I will
never stop learning and keep on finding more answers to this question, both in my personal and in my
professional life.
During a course I got involved with sustainable fashion, and I noticed that it was an emerging topic all
around me. It was shocking to hear the enormous impact of the fashion industry on the environment,
and that it gained so little attention compared to this impact. Moreover, I have always been interested
in fashion and have my own clothing label. Because of this combination I immediately knew that I
wanted sustainable fashion as a topic for my Master Thesis!
I want to thank Machiel Lamers, my supervisor during these six months, for the feedback and meetings
we had. I often had the urge to see things more complicated than they were, and he helped me to see
clarity in all the different concepts. I also would like to thank all my respondents, without them this
research would not be possible.
Margriet Goossensen

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Summary
This research departs from the scientific debate on sustainable consumption and the role of consumers
as agents for change. This research investigates the behaviour of sustainable clothing consumers in
The Netherlands through their motivations and barriers concerning purchasing sustainable clothes.
This is done through the lens of political consumerism.
Problem definition
The current fashion system is a linear economic system with severe environmental and social impacts.
Clothes are underutilised and fast fashion is the norm. The demand for clothes in the form of
consumption and the supply of fast fashion in the form of production are closely intertwined. This
means that consumers can have an impact on the current fashion industry. There are multiple barriers
faced by consumers while aiming to consume sustainable clothes, and they are driven by various
motivations. This research aims to analyse how and to what extent the sustainable clothing consumers
in The Netherlands aim to change the current fashion system.
Theory
Political consumerism, or ‘’voting with your dollar’’ is a way for consumers to have an influence on the
current fashion system by their consumption behaviour. Avoiding certain stores or brands (boycotting)
and supporting certain stores or brands (buycotting) are strategies for consumers to have an influence
on a certain economic system. Political consumerism adds discursive and lifestyle strategies to the
theory. Discursive strategies are actions aimed at the consumers to make them aware and educate
them about a certain topic. Lifestyle strategies focus on alternative types of consumption and
ownership and invites to rethink current consumption patterns.
Method
The focus of this research is on two groups within consumers of sustainable clothes: consumers of
second hand clothes at a the IJhallen, the biggest flea market in Europe, and bloggers about
sustainable fashion. In total, 22 consumers at the IJhallen were interviewed and 12 in-depth interviews
with bloggers were conducted.
Results
The sustainable clothing consumers in The Netherlands are facing certain barriers while they aim to
consume sustainable clothes, and they are driven by multiple motivations. They avoid and support
certain clothing stores and brands, yet there are different gradients to this. The sustainable clothing
consumers in The Netherlands try to inspire people to change their attitude about clothes by using
discursive strategies such as writing blogs and promoting second hand clothes. However, respondents
are afraid to be ‘’preachy’’. Sustainable clothes are also imbedded in the lifestyle of the sustainable
clothing consumers in The Netherlands. This is noticeable through the fact that they are information
seeking and feel responsible to consume in a sustainable way. For some consumers this is also
noticeable through the fact that they solely wear second hand clothes and do not want to purchase
newly produced clothes. All the respondents noticed an increased awareness for sustainable fashion.
Conclusion
The sustainable clothing consumers in The Netherlands aim to change the fashion system by avoiding
certain stores (boycotting) and supporting certain stores (buycotting). Purchasing second hand clothes

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gives sustainable clothing consumers the opportunity to avoid the current fashion system. The
bloggers have a clear discursive strategy, which is writing blogs. Because of this position they are
actively looking for information about sustainable clothes and it enlarges their feeling of personal
responsibility. Half of the consumers at the IJhallen are actively looking for a sustainable lifestyle
through only purchasing second hand clothes. For the bloggers there is a difference between their
role as a blogger and how they communicate their vision in real life. In real life they are more modest
and afraid of being too ‘’preachy’’. The consumers at the IJhallen share this feeling, even though they
are in favour of second hand clothes and are happy to share this with other people. All the consumers
notice an increase in awareness and change in attitude. They see the current attitude as a barrier,
because fast fashion is for a lot of people the norm and it is hard to change the look at clothes. In the
end, the results of this research are contributing to the holistic understanding of the behaviour of
sustainable consumers, and give insights in the theory of political consumerism.
Keywords: Sustainable fashion, consumer behaviour, political consumerism, sustainable
consumption, second hand clothes.

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Table of contents
1.Introduction Page 10
1.1 The current fashion system Page
1.1.3 Fast fashion Page
1.2 Consumer behaviour Page
1. 3 Factors influencing sustainable purchases Page
1.3.1 Internal factors Page
1.3.2 External factors Page
1.4 Scientific and social relevance of the study Page
1.5 Aim of the study and research questions Page
1.6 Thesis structure Page
2. Theoretical framework Page 16
2.1 Circular fashion Page
2.2 Sustainable consumption Page
2.3 Political consumerism Page
2.3.2 Political consumerism in the fashion industry Page
2.4 Motivations and barriers of sustainable consumers Page
2.4.2 Motivations of sustainable consumers Page
2.4.3 Barriers of sustainable consumers Page
2.4.4 Second hand fashion Page
2.5 Summary Page
3. Methodology Page 23
3.1 Consumer groups studied Page
3.1.2 Second hand clothing consumers Page
3.1.3 Sustainable fashion bloggers Page
3.1.4 Justification groups Page
3.2.Qualitative research Page
3.2.2 Interviews Page
3.2.1 Interviews at the IJhallen Page
3.2.2 Interviews with the bloggers Page
3.3. Data analysis Page
3.3.2 Coding Page
3.4 Reliability, validity and replication Page
3.5 Overview of interviewees Page
3.6 Operationalisation political consumerism Page
3.7 Conclusion Page
4. Consuming second hand clothes at the IJhallen Page 28
4.1 Motivations and barriers Page
4.1.1 Motivations Page

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4.1.2 Barriers Page
4.1.3 In sum Page
4.2 Boycotting and buycotting Page
4.2.1 Boycotting Page
4.2.2 Buycotting Page
4.2.3 In sum Page
4.3 Discursive strategies Page
4.4 Lifestyle strategies Page
5. Writing blogs about sustainable fashion Page 33
5.1 Motivations and barriers Page
5.1.1 Motivations Page
5.1.2 Barriers Page
5.1.3 In sum Page
5.2.3 In sum Page
5.5 Discursive strategies Page
5.6 Lifestyle strategies Page
6. Discussion Page 39
6.1 Comparative analysis Page
6.2.2 Consuming less: A way of boycotting? Page
6.2.4 Barriers for buycotting Page
6.2.5 Buycotting second hand Page
6.2.6 Boycotting and buycotting: Intertwined and reflected Page
6.3 Discursive and lifestyle strategies Page
6.3.1 Discursive strategies Page
6.3.2 Lifestyle strategies Page
6.3.3 Feedback loop Page
6.4 Limitations of the research Page
6.5 Recommendations further research Page
7. Conclusion Page 49
7.1 Motivations for purchasing sustainable clothes Page
7.2 Barriers faced while aiming to consume sustainable clothes Page
7.3 Strategies used by sustainable clothing consumers Page
7.3.1 Boycotting and buycotting Page
7.3.2 Discursive strategies Page
7.3.4 Lifestyle strategies Page
7.4 General conclusion Page

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8. Literature Page 53
Annexes Page 58
Annex 1: Interview protocols Page
Annex 2: Operationalisation interview questions Page
Annex 3: Code trees Page
Annex 4: List of interview respondents sustainable bloggers Page
Annex 5: Schematic overviews of the results Page
Annex 6: Transcripts interviews IJhallen Page
Annex 7: Transcripts interview bloggers Page

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1.Introduction
What are you wearing right now? Is it your favourite shirt that has been in your closet for seven years,
or is it a brand new one that you will maybe only wear a couple of times? Did you ever think about how
your clothes were made, or how they affect the environment?
The fashion industry, employing more than 300 million people worldwide, is with 1.2 trillion USD an
important economic sector. Unfortunately, it is also the second biggest polluter, with only the
petrochemical industry exceeding its CO2 emissions. The fashion industry is more polluting than all
marine transport and international shipping combined (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). During
the last two decades, the fashion industry grew enormously, and clothing production almost doubled
in the last 15 years (Todeschini et al., 2017). With the expected rise of the middle class in emerging
countries such as China and countries in South-America and Africa, it is expected that these numbers
will increase (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017).
The production of clothes is harmful to the environment. The processes in the different phases of the
production chain consume water, energy and chemicals (Jung & Jin, 2014). The production of cotton
uses large amounts of water (Kirchain et al.,2015) and is accountable for 10 percent of the worldwide
usage of synthetic pesticides, which are harmful for the health of the farmers and cause degradation
of the land (Gam et al., 2010). Polyester however overtook cotton and is now the most used fabric for
clothes. Polyester is a synthetic fabric and with its production fossil fuels are used. A t-shirt made of
polyester has an emission of 5.5 kg CO2 compared to 2.1 kg of CO2 for a t-shirt made of cotton.
However, cotton uses more water during its production and has more impact on land and water
(Kirchain et al., 2015). Moreover, to dye one pound of textile, approximately 133 litre of water is used
(Hiller Connell & Kozar, 2012) and because of the global characteristics of the fashion chain, the
transport that is needed uses significant amounts of gasoline (Jung & Jin, 2014). Besides the polluting
production phase, also after the clothes are bought they can still harm the environment. Laundry uses
vast amounts of water and chemicals. In the end, when clothes are not recycled, they end up in
landfills, increasing the solid waste loads of the earth (Jung & Jin, 2014).
Besides being environmentally unfriendly, links in the global fashion chain lack good working
conditions. Since the manufacturing process of clothing does not require high level skills, the
production is often outsourced to developing countries. In the factories where the clothes are made,
the majority of the workers is female and the wages are low (Turker & Altuntas, 2014). Everyone heard
of the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, the collapse of a textile factory in Bangladesh which caused the
death of 1134 factory workers. This disaster is just an example of many more, and illustrates the bad
working conditions of the workers in the textile industry (Shen et al., 2013). Due to rising consumer
awareness there is an increasing pressure on brands to improve these conditions. However, it is still
hard to track if changes really occur, which is worsened due to lack of transparency in the production
chain (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017).
1.1 The current fashion system
The current fashion system is a linear economic system. This means that natural resources are
extracted from the environment, made into clothes, and ending up in landfills. This take-make-dispose

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model puts pressure on natural resources and ecosystems and creates societal impacts (Ellen
MacArthur Foundation, 2017).
This linear system has a lack of recycling. Less than one percent of the materials that are used to
produce clothing are recycled into new clothes. From the total material input, 13 percent is recycled
into lower-value applications. These are for example mattress stuffing or insulation material. Part of
this is that right now, a lot of clothes that are produced are made from mixed-fibres. This means that
a t-shirt for example is not made of only 100 percent cotton, but is a mix of different fibres, which
makes it harder to recycle (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Figure 1.1 illustrates that only 20
percent of the clothes worldwide are collected and sorted, the other 80 percent end up as waste
(Global Fashion Agenda & The Boston Consulting Group, 2017). From the environmental impacts of
the fashion industry, 50 percent is in the use phase, after the consumers buy the clothes (Ellen
MacArthur Foundation, 2017).
Figure 1.1: Recycling and waste in the global fashion industry.
Source: Global Fashion Agenda & The Boston Consulting Group (2017)
Besides the fact that consumers buy more clothes every year, clothes are underutilised. This means
that clothes are used less before they are thrown away (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). As is
rooted in today's consumerist society, people have the habit to buy new clothes according to the
seasonal trends and as a form of entertainment, instead of out of need for new clothes. Instead of
wearing clothes until they get worn out, people throw away clothes when they are out of fashion, do
not fit anymore or have become ‘used’ (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Not long ago, clothes
were carefully looked after, repaired and handed over. The coming of fast fashion however, changed
this attitude about prolonged use. Consumers tend to treat their clothes as nearly disposable and
throw them away after only a couple of wears (Global Fashion Agenda & The Boston Consulting Group,
2017).

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1.1.2 Fast fashion
The dominant trend in the fashion industry nowadays is fast fashion (McNeill & Moore, 2015). Where
clothing brands used to have 2 or 4 collections per year, fast fashion brands, such as Zara and H&M,
change their collections weekly (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). It is estimated that there are 20
pieces of clothing produced for every person worldwide each year, and that the purchases of fashion
are 60 percent higher than in the year 2000 (Drew & Yehounme, 2017). Keeping up with fashion trends
and expressing oneself through clothes is an important driver for a lot of consumers to buy new
clothes (McNeill & Moore, 2015). From all the clothing that is produced, almost 60 percent is disposed
within a year of production, which means that it ends in landfills or incineration (Remy et al., 2017).
Given the fact that the average consumer wears 20 percent of his or her closet 80 percent of the time
(Global Fashion Agenda & The Boston Consulting Group, 2017), one can wonder: How many clothes
does a person need?
1.2 Consumer behaviour
The demand for clothes in the form of consumption and the supply of fast fashion in the form of
production are closely intertwined (Terlau & Hirsch, 2015). However, the amount of consumers that
are said to be environmentally aware of their purchases is not in line with the actual market share of
sustainable clothes. Consumers are said to be more concerned about unethical and environmentally
friendly behaviour. However, this attitude does not always result into behaviour that is in line with the
attitude (McNeill & Moore, 2015). 30 to 50 percent of the consumers indicated to have an intention
to buy sustainable products. Compare this to the market share of sustainable products that are being
sold, this is only 5 percent (Carrington et al., 2010; Young et al., 2010). People are not always rational
beings and a lot of decisions and behaviour are difficult to explain by means of scientific models
(Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018). This disequilibrium between the attitude of consumers and their
actual behaviour is in the literature known as the attitude-behaviour gap (Terlau & Hirsch, 2015;
McNeill & Moore, 2015; Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018).
Despite this gap between the attitude and actual behaviour, there are multiple reaction-movements
from consumers who are concerned about the rising trend of fast fashion and its social and
environmental consequences. Increasing amounts of swapping events, second hand clothing
purchases and slow fashion labels are emerging. These movements are direct expressions of changing
consumer preferences (Todeschini et al., 2017). These consumers are aware of the negative aspects
of the clothes they buy.
Within the scientific literature about sustainable consumption there is a perspective that explains
sustainable consumption through the theory of political consumerism. Political consumerism will be
used as a lens in this research. Political consumers are consumers who consciously purchase products
that they support and avoid buying products that are not in line with their ethical believes or have a
severe environmental impact. These consumers ‘’vote with their dollar’’ and are seen as effective
change makers that could nudge the industry in the right direction (Neilson, 2010; Copeland, 2014;
Shah, 2007; Hiller Connel, 2018).
1.3 Factors influencing sustainable purchases
Different factors can influence the behaviour of an individual concerning sustainable purchases.
Wiederhold & Martinez (2018) made a distinction between internal factors and external factors.

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Internal factors are factors that come from within the consumer such as feelings and emotions, but
also personal characteristics are taken into account. External factors are factors that have an influence
on an individual but come from outside the person. Both of them will be exemplified in the next two
paragraphs.
1.3.1 Internal factors
Making the decision to purchase something that is an ethical alternative is often due to the own
willingness of an individual to change their consumption pattern. When consumers are very attached
to a certain brand, they are less likely to move to an ethical brand. Within the process of making a
purchase decision, brand loyalty is a crucial factor. This can also lead to processing information in a
selective way. Some bad messages about brands tend to be ignored, and positive information is
framed in a biased perception. This can sometimes lead to a greater elasticity of what is ethical or
sustainable (Papaoikonomou et al., 2010; Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018).
Knowledge about the harmful effects of the fashion industry on the environment is also an important
internal factor (Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018). When consumers are not aware of the problem, they
are less likely to consciously consume in a sustainable way (Austgulen, 2015).
Furthermore, research shows that it is an important factor if an individual has a feeling of obligation
to act in a sustainable way. If consumers feel that it is every consumer's responsibility to actively
choose between products that are more or less sustainable or ethical (Austgulen, 2015).
This feeling of obligation is connected with the fact if the consumer believes that an individual has a
certain amount of power and whether they believe that voluntary efforts of individual consumers
matter (Austgulen, 2015). This feeling of individual power refers to the perception of an individual, if
he or she feels like their personal actions are insignificant or significant. Consumers who believe that
an individual has an influence are more likely to purchase ethical products because they feel that they
can make a difference (Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018).
1.3.2 External factors
The first external factor that is of high importance when talking about decision making of consumers
is an economic factor. The price of a product is a decisive point when making a purchase decision
(Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018). According to Balderjahn (2013), consumers act primarily considering
the greatest benefits for themselves. This means that at the point of purchase, their care for
environmental problems are kept aside, and lower prices are favoured (Wiederhold & Martinez,
2018). Besides costs, institutional factors are important, this means that the necessary infrastructure
to purchase sustainable items, should be available (Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018). Social and cultural
factors also play a role. The social environment of an individual has an influence on their consumer
behaviour. According to Carrigan & Attala (2001), image, trend and price are important when
purchasing an item. These factors are more important than ethical criteria, especially for young
consumers. Sometimes, wearing the ‘’right brand’’ is more important than ethical alternatives
(Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018).

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1.4 Scientific and social relevance of the research
Due to the rising trend of ethical consumerism it is important for companies and sustainable fashion
brands to know what goes on in the mind of the consumer at the point of purchase, but also the
process beforehand (Terlau & Hirsch, 2015). There is little research conducted about the reasons
behind this behaviour of consumers in the field of sustainable consumption. Research is done about
ethical consumerism, with a fair share of articles about sustainable food consumption (Cottingham &
Winkler, 2007; Hughner et al., 2007; Naspetti & Zanoli, 2009; Oughton & Ritson, 2007). However, most
scientific articles only partly cover elements of sustainable consumption, by focusing only on the
intentions or the motivations of consumers (Terlau & Hirsch, 2015). According to Shen et al. (2013)
studies examined the attitudes of consumers toward sustainable product and the final purchase
decisions of sustainable products. There are some academics who tried to make a more clear picture
of sustainable consumers. Such as Young et al., (2010) who investigated green consumer behaviour
concerning purchasing technology products among sustainable consumers in the UK.
However, the above examples are not specifically about the fashion industry. Shen et al., (2013)
conducted research about the consumer awareness related to sustainable fashion of students in
California. This research tried to start investigating the attitude behaviour gap within sustainable
clothing purchases, since awareness about sustainable fashion is related to the attitude and behaviour
of consumers (Shen et al., 2013). Harris et al., (2015) conducted research about encouraging
sustainable consumer behaviour related to sustainable clothing and the challenges the sustainable
clothing business faces. Wiederhold & Martinez (2018) investigated the attitude-behaviour gap within
sustainable fashion in Germany. However, none of these article specifically focus on The Netherlands
and due to their limited sample size and focus, their results cannot be generalized to a wider
population and emphasize the importance of further research within this research focus (Wiederhold
& Martinez, 2018; Shen et al., 2013; Harris et al., 2015).
To be able to make the current fashion system more sustainable and to make the share of sustainable
clothing purchases in The Netherlands larger, it is important to understand the behaviour of the Dutch
consumers. Cultural settings and situational factors are of high importance within decision-making
processes, and these differ in every country and every age category or focus group (Terlau & Hirsch,
2015; Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018; Austgulen, 2015). In the Netherlands, 40 percent of young
consumers never take sustainability aspects into account, compared to 20 percent in other European
countries. The Netherlands also uses less collective clothing consumption such as sharing, renting or
borrowing clothes (Boström & Micheletti, 2016).
‘’Increasing consumers’ awareness of the clothing lifecycle and its impacts has been
described as the best hope for sustainability in the fashion industry’’
(Harris, 2016. Page 309).
Research showed that knowledge, beliefs and support of ethical issues are important factors shaping
the purchase behaviour of consumers (Shen et al., 2013). However, clothing brands and companies
systematically fail to inform their customers about their sustainable initiatives in an effective way (Lee
et al., 2012). This creates a barrier for sustainable fashion brands to be able to expand from their niche
market. This is due to a lack of understanding of the behaviour of sustainable clothing consumers (Lee
at al., 2012).

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The theory of political consumerism gained attention by scholars about consumer behaviour (Neilson,
2010). Political consumerism provides an interesting lens to look at consumption behaviour. However,
most of the research about political consumerism is based on large scale standardized panels in the
United States (Neilson, 2010; Copeland, 2014; Shah, 2007). Micheletti & Stolle (2008) were the first to
apply political consumerism to elements of the fashion industry, by focussing on the anti-sweatshop
movements. More recently, Hiller Connel (2018) applied political consumerism to the fast fashion
industry. However, both of these studies are literature studies without generating new data. Hiller
Connel (2018) in her research emphasises the importance of understanding the behaviour of
sustainable consumers in the context of political consumerism:
‘’Overall, we must better understand the barriers facing a transition to sustainability […]
to overcome these obstacles and realize the fashion industry’s full potential to achieve
sustainability.’’
(Hiller Connel, 2018. Page 17)
This disquisition of several scientific sources shows that applying political consumerism to the fashion
industry is a new phenomenon, and is not yet done in a qualitative way, nor in The Netherlands.
Therefore it illustrates the scientific gap and societal relevance of the study.
To make the current fashion system more sustainable, it is of great importance to take the behaviour
of consumers into account. However, there is still a gap between the attitude of consumers and the
actual behaviour of consumers, and the market share of sustainable products is still small. There is a
great opportunity for consumers to get involved in sustainable consumption, but there is still a lack of
research about the behaviour of these sustainable consumers. To understand this behaviour, it is
essential to understand their motivations to consume sustainable products, and to gain insights in the
barriers that the consumers are facing. Sustainable clothing consumers are consumers that overcame
(or are trying to) the attitude-behaviour gap within sustainable fashion and are purchasing sustainable
items. Insights in their motivations to purchase sustainable clothes and the barriers they are facing
while aiming to consume sustainable clothes are of great importance. Knowledge about sustainable
consumers can be used to inform clothing brands and stores, but can also be used for policy makers
and NGO’s. But more importantly, it can inspire other consumers to purchase sustainable clothes,
changing the system by bottom up changes led by consumers.
1.5 Aim of the study and research questions
To understand the behaviour of consumers of sustainable clothing in The Netherlands, it is important
to know the motivations and barriers of consumers of sustainable clothing. Therefore the aim of this
research is to analyse the motivations and barriers of sustainable clothing consumers in The
Netherlands, and to investigate to what extent these consumers want to influence the current fashion
system.
To investigate this, the following research question is formulated for this thesis:
How and to what extent do sustainable clothing consumers in The Netherlands aim to change the
current fashion system?

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In order to formulate an answer to the main research questions, the following sub questions have
been conducted:
1. Which motivations are underlying the sustainable clothing consumption of sustainable clothing
consumers in the Netherlands?
2. Which barriers are faced by sustainable clothing consumers in the Netherlands while aiming to
consume sustainable clothes?
3. Which strategies do the sustainable clothing consumers in The Netherlands use to have an impact
on the current fashion system?
1.6 Thesis structure
This paragraph will function as a reading guide, to see the logic and structure of this thesis. The second
chapter, the theoretical framework, will discuss the most important concepts and functions as a
framework for the research question. Chapter three will explain the methodology that is used in this
research. Chapter four and five will present the results of this research. The results will be put in a
broader perspective and reflected on in chapter six, the discussion. The last chapter, chapter seven, is
the conclusion of this research and will provide an answer to the research questions.

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2. Theoretical Framework
This theoretical framework will discuss the most important theoretical concepts as a framework for
the research question. The chapter will start with an introduction of sustainable fashion. This will be
followed by paragraph two about circular fashion. Thirdly, sustainable consumption will be discussed.
After this, the motivations and barriers of sustainable consumers will be discussed, with an emphasis
on second hand fashion in paragraph 5.4. Paragraph six will introduce political consumerism, and
paragraph 6.2 will discuss political consumption in the fashion industry. The chapter will close with a
conclusion that will focus as a summary to show how the different elements of the theoretical
framework are linked together.
As the introduction sketched, the current fashion system has negative environmental and social
consequences. The introduction also presented that this issue is increasing: In 2014 the average
consumer bought 60 percent more clothes than in the year 2000, and kept each garment half as long
(Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Before going into depth about the specific characteristics of
sustainable fashion it is wise to ask what sustainable fashion exactly is. The literature often speaks of
green fashion, eco fashion or ethical fashion, in which the former two focus more on the
environmental aspects and the latter more of the social aspects. In this research the focus will be on
sustainable fashion, which combines both the environmental and social aspects (Shen et al., 2013).
Sustainable fashion can be defined as:
‘’Clothing that incorporate fair trade principles with sweatshop-free labour conditions; that does not
harm the environment or workers by using biodegradable and organic cotton, and designed for a
longer lifetime use; that is produced in an ethical production system, perhaps even locally; that which
causes little or no environmental impact and makes use of eco-labelled or recycled materials’’
(Shen et al., 2013. Page 135.).
Important to mention is that within this research, direct recycling of clothes via the means of second
hand clothes, are also seen under the umbrella of sustainable fashion.
2.1 Circular fashion
An often heard term these days is circular fashion. In contrast with the linear model explained in the
introduction, the concept of circular fashion focuses on making the linear system circular. This means
realising a system in which clothes are kept at their highest value during their use and re-enter the
economy after they are used. In this circular system, there is no such thing as waste (Ellen MacArthur
Foundation, 2017). Realising this circular model requires new innovations in terms of recycling (Ellen
MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Besides technological innovations, there are also steps that society can
take right away to make the fashion system more circular. These are purchasing second hand clothes,
purchasing slow fashion items, swapping events and clothing rental systems (Ellen MacArthur
Foundation, 2017).

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2.2 Sustainable consumption
At first glance it seems that fashion and sustainability are two intrinsically conflicting concepts
(Lundblad & Davies, 2016). As Poldner et al. (2015) state:
‘’Sustainable fashion can be seen as an oxymoron because sustainability is
about longevity and fashion is about change.‘’
(Poldner et al., 2015, Page 4.).
However, combining ethics and fashion is not a new idea. The first anti-fur campaigns for example
appeared in the 1980s. And in the 1990s, attention was raised for sweatshop scandals, which put
pressure on the fashion industry, including companies and retailers. These pressures resulted in more
attention towards biodegradable materials and organic cotton (Lundblad & Davies, 2016). Since then,
the attention for and awareness of environmental problems increased (Wiederhold & Martinez,
2018). The relation between consumption and social and environmental costs became more evident,
and this resulted in new perceptions of consumers. This greater awareness of consumers towards the
effect of their own purchasing resulted in a new type of behaviour, which includes responsible
consumption (Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018).
2.3 Political Consumerism
When consumers make conscious choices about what to purchase and what not, this can become a
political vote (Ward & de Vreese, 2011). Citizens’ political practices are changing. It seemed that in the
second half of the twentieth century, citizen interest in politics declined (Copeland, 2014). However,
recent literature sees this decline not as merely a decline but more as a changing shape. Attention
shifted from a traditional way of participating politically to more ‘lifestyle politics’. This change
provided the context of the expansion of political consumerism. This enables citizens to address
political and personal problems that are related to the quality of life, but outside the realm of
traditional politics (Copeland, 2014). Before going into depth, it is important to know what political
consumerism is. Political consumerism can be described as:
‘’Decisions deliberately to avoid or seek specific products for political,
ethical or environmental reasons’’
(Stolle et al.,2005 in; Copeland, 2014. Page 174).
This definition is very broad and includes motivations that are personal and ethical but also range to
more political motivations (Copeland, 2014). Political consumers are citizens that take matters into
their own hand instead of waiting for official government bodies to take action (Ward & de Vreese,
2011). This is reflected in personal consumption choices and is often referred to as a ‘’voting with your
money’’. Within the theory of political consumerism, consumers are seen as agents for change
(Austgulen, 2015). This socially conscious consumption is described by Ward and de Vreese (2011) as:
‘’She is aware of the brands that she wears and what they stand for,
and she exercises her spending power in a socially responsible way.’’
(Ward & de Vreese, 2011., Page 401).

19
Two concepts that are mentioned the most related to putting political consumerism into practice are
boycotting and buycotting. The literature also mentions the importance of the difference between
these two concepts (Neilson, 2010; Copeland; 2014). Therefore they will be explained separately:
Boycotting is the most dominant form of political consumerism and also the most clearly noticeable
(Hiller Connell, 2008). Boycotting is punishing businesses for their unfavourable behaviour, and
therefore bypass a certain company (Neilson, 2010). When political consumers know that a company
makes products with a large environmental impact or that their workers are not treated fairly, they
boycott the company. Boycotting is therefore conflict and punishment oriented (Copeland, 2014). An
example of boycotting could be avoiding a certain restaurant of food chain because the way they
threat animals is not in line with your own believes about animal welfare. Another example could be
not purchasing items from a certain brand anymore because the way they treat their workers is not
right according to your standards on human rights.
Buycotting is often mentioned in line with boycotting, but they lead to opposing outcomes for the
brand or business (Neilson, 2010). Buycotting is consciously buying products at a company that
consumers trust, and are in line with their ethical believes (Neilson, 2010). Examples of this can be
that consumers go to their local organic store to buy their vegetables because they want to support
this business, instead of going to the supermarket. Another example is purchasing furniture made of
organic certified wood made by a local tailor. Buycotting is more cooperative and reward oriented
(Copeland, 2014).
Besides boycotting and buycotting, acts of political consumerism are visible through discursive
strategies (Hiller Connell, 2018). Discursive strategies are communicative and non-economic actions
aimed to make the consumer aware and educate them about a certain topic (Hiller Connell, 2008).
Discursive strategies are used to engage people and inform them about the social and environmental
implications of the products they purchase (Hiller Connell, 2008). Micheletti & Stolle (2008) describe
discursive strategies as expressing opinions about corporate policies and practices through
communication that is aimed at businesses, the larger public, and political institutions. An example
are the anti-sweatshop campaigns aimed at large cooperation’s such as Nike. These communicative
campaigns use ‘’anti-branding’’ or so called ‘’culture-jamming’’ (Images 2.1 and 2.2), to spread a
negative image about a certain brand to raise awareness (Micheletti & Stolle, 2008). Another example
could be from the animal right organisation PETA, aimed at Burger King, spreading messages of
‘’Murder King’’. Or the “Kentucky Fried Cruelty” campaign aimed at Kentucky Fried Chicken (Micheletti
& Stolle, 2008).
Image 2.1: People and Planet, 2010.
Image 2.2: Solidarity us, 2012.

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Additionally, political consumerism adds lifestyle strategies to the theory. This goes one step further
than boycotting and buycotting and acknowledges that even if companies can manage to implement
sustainability and human rights into their industry, without drastically decreasing the volume of
products that are produced, it will never be truly sustainable (Hiller Connell, 2018). Lifestyle strategies
focus on alternative types of consumption and ownership such as rental systems and shared
ownership. Lifestyle strategies invite to rethink current consumption patterns (Hiller Connell, 2018).
An example of lifestyle strategies could be boycotting the regular supermarket and joining a local food
network that bypasses the supermarkets and obtains the products directly from the local farmer. This
food network might inquires volunteering work and creates a community feeling in the
neighbourhood. In this way, lifestyle strategies of political consumers imbeds the way of consuming
in the lifestyle of the consumer.
2.3.2 Political consumerism in the fashion industry
Political consumerism is also applicable for the fashion industry (Hiller Connell, 2018). Recent research
by Hiller Connell (2018) applied political consumerism to the fast fashion industry. Hiller Connell
(2018) describes the goal of political consumerism in the fashion industry as follows:
‘’To mobilize consumers to engage in actions that will lead fashion companies
to be more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable.’’
(Hiller Connell, 2018. Page 7).
Political consumers in the fashion industry tend to believe in individual power, and think that
individual efforts matter. Characteristics of the political consumer is the fact that they often feel
responsible to consume in a sustainable way (Hiller Connell, 2018). They have a sense of obligation
towards political affairs and are often more left wing oriented (Hiller Connell, 2018). The concepts of
boycotting and buycotting are highly applicable to this industry. Boycotting applied to the fashion
industry could be consumers boycotting a fast fashion giant such as H&M or Zara because the stores
are not in line with their believes. Buycotting for example could be deliberately choosing to purchase
garments at a small local store that sells clothes of sustainable materials. However, consumer
boycotting and buycotting in the fashion industry remains low, especially compared to political
consumer actions for other product categories (Austgulen, 2016). Research suggests that this is the
result of multiple factors, including the lack of consumer knowledge and higher prices and less
availability of sustainable clothing (Hiller Connell, 2018). These factors are in line with the discussed
barriers of sustainable fashion consumption.
Besides boycotting and buycotting, discursive strategies as a form of political consumerism in the
fashion industry can be effective (Micheletti & Stolle, 2008). There are certain campaigns in Europe
or in The Netherlands that try to focus more on discursive strategies. The Clean Clothes Campaign for
example informs consumers about labour and environmental issues that are happening in the fashion
industry, and encourage consumers to change their practices (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2019; Hiller
Connel, 2018).
Another act of political consumerism related to fashion consumption are lifestyle strategies (Hiller
Connell, 2018). This goes one step further than boycotting and buycotting and acknowledges that even
if global brands can manage to implement sustainability and human rights into their industry, without

21
drastically decreasing the volume of the clothes that are produced, the current fashion industry will
never be truly sustainable (Hiller Connell, 2018). Lifestyle strategies to tackle this problem would be
to find alternative consumption methods that try to bypass the current system. Examples of this is the
slow fashion movement, that focuses on buying fewer clothes of durable materials with a minimum
environmental impact. Another example are product-service systems, that focuses on shared
ownership and collaborative consumption (Tukker & Tischner, 2006). Purchasing second hand is also
an example, and so is participating in swapping events. These give the consumers the possibility of
remaining in the current zeitgeist of consuming, but with less environmental impact (Hiller Connell,
2018). A characteristic that is in line with this is that political consumers are information seekers, since
these consumption means are alternative to the most common ones. This means that the consumer
needs to actively search for alternatives (Hiller Connell, 2018).
2.4 Motivations and barriers of sustainable consumers
When consumers purchase sustainable products, avoid unsustainable products or express opinions
about such products, they are driven by certain motivations that underlie their actions. By
understanding a person’s motivation, greater insight can be gained into why individuals behave as
they do (Freestone & McGoldrick, 2007). In the scientific literature about sustainable consumer
behaviour, a fair amount of studies tried to investigate the motivations of sustainable consumers. In
sub-paragraph 2.4.2, the main motivations originated from the literature are discussed. Besides
motivations of consumers to buy sustainable products, consumers can also experience certain barriers
when purchasing sustainable items. These barriers can result in barriers to buycott certain products
and have an influence in the degree whether sustainable clothes are imbedded in the lifestyle of an
individual and to what extent this translates into discursive strategies. Abstracted from the scientific
literature about consumer behaviour, the most important barriers are identified and explained in
paragraph 2.4.3.
2.4.2 Motivations of sustainable consumers
Consumers who feel responsible for the environment and are aware of their own impact are more
likely to take pro-environmental action (Jägel et al., 2012). This motivation highlights the importance
of recycling and reducing waste, but also on eco-friendly materials, modes of production, and the
geographical origin of clothes (Jägel et al., 2012). Early research viewed sustainable consumption as
being driven by altruistic motivations with a high concern for environmental and social issues (Bly et
al., 2015). Consumers that wish to protect the environment and feel responsible, have a more
biospheric value. However, consumers that want to provide for future generations, have a more
anthropocentric focus. for them, their environmental concern is fundamentally originated by concern
about humankind. Even though this motivation may be grounded in different values, the pattern is
still unified by one substantial element. Consumers want to support the environment and reduce their
own personal negative impact. (Jägel et al., 2012; Niinimäki, 2010 ).
However, besides environmental concern, self-interested facets of sustainable consumption are
important motivations (Bly et al., 2015; Black and Cherrier, 2010). For example, sustainable
consumption can be seen as the formation and reinforcement of an individual. These consumers
wants to distinct themselves from a group and focus on uniqueness (Connolly and Prothero, 2008).
Cherrier (2009) describes creative consumers who reject commercialized products when constructing
their identity and have the desire to find meaning in the products they buy and consume (Bly et al.,

22
2015). This is also highly applicable for second hand clothes. The opportunity of finding unique pieces
while purchasing second hand clothes is seen as a motivation for consumers (Niinimäki, 2010).
Besides constructing unique identities, consuming sustainable products can give consumers a sense
of power by avoiding certain products (Cherrier, 2009). Avoiding certain products is also in line with
one of the strategies of political consumerism, namely boycotting (Neilson, 2010; Hiller Connell, 2018).
This motivation is at the base of anticonsumption consumer movements such as voluntary simplicity
and nonmaterialism (Bly et al., 2015). Voluntary simplicity and nonmaterialism are movements of
consumers that focus on consuming less and more conscious (Bly et al., 2015; Cherrier, 2009).
Aside from these positive motivations, research also indicates that sustainable consumption can be
motivated by negative emotions such as scepticism and mistrust (Cherrier, 2009). Research often
mentions a mistrust against large companies and their lack of authenticity, this results in a distrust
and scepticism towards these large corporate brands (Kozinets & Handelman, 2004). According to
Carrigan & Atalla (2001) this is due to a lack of transparency and authenticity, which results in a
scepticism of consumers of the ethical motives of a company (Thompson & Arsel, 2004). These
negative emotions can lead to boycotting certain stores and brands (Neilson, 2010; Hiller Connell,
2018). By resisting large corporate brands, consumers try to free themselves from the perceived
control of the market (Holt, 2002; Thompson & Arsel, 2004). Being resistant towards the
homogenization of large brands and focus on smaller local retailers, gives them the feeling of avoiding
cultural forces such as globalization and free themselves from the control of the market (Bly et al.,
2015). Focusing on smaller and local retailers can be a form of boycotting (Neilson, 2010; Hiller
Connell, 2018).
2.4.3 Barriers of sustainable consumers
The most important barrier for consumers to purchase sustainable fashion is the price. Sustainable
fashion is often linked with higher prices (Niinimäki, 2010; Hiller Connell, 2018). Besides a higher price,
loss of quality is also a barrier for consumers. This loss of quality is related to uncomfortable materials
of the garment (Niinimäki, 2010; Hiller Connell, 2018). However, this is not applicable for second hand
clothes. Second hand clothes are often cheaper than regular clothes, which makes the price not a
barrier for consumers, but more a motivation to purchase second hand clothes (Todeschini et al.,
2017).
An overload of information can also be a barrier for sustainable consumers. Consumers can get
confused and overwhelmed by all the information and are more likely to trust the bad press they
receive about unethical behaviour than proactively search for sustainable or ethical alternatives.
When consumers receive a lot of information, this can also result in cynicism towards the problem
because the consumer is sometimes unable to process all the knowledge in a concrete way due to lack
of credible information (Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018). Consumers often don’t take a lot of time for
their purchase, which results in a reduced search activity and therefore disregard of ethical aspects.
When consumers are confronted with too much information and options to choose from, factors such
as price gain more importance while ethical aspects tend to be ignored (Wiederhold & Martinez,
2018).

23
Related to this is that consumers have a ‘’bounded responsibility’’ which means that they are not
equally involved or aware with all social issues. Some consumers may feel the pressure of acting
sustainable in all fields in their everyday life, but this is not always possible. Some authors argue that
consumers have limited attention capacities and therefore are not able to focus on all the markets
(Austgulen, 2015).
Discomfort in shopping is also an important barrier for consumers, which is related to the limited
choice of sustainable product compared to non-sustainable products (Niinimäki, 2010; Hiller Connell,
2018). The market share of sustainable clothes is still a marginal market. The global production of
organic cotton for example constitutes for only 1 percent of the total production of cotton (Austgulen,
2015). This barrier is also applicable for second hand clothes, since the availability is low, and there is
often only one piece of each item (Todeschini et al., 2017). This means that even though consumers
can have the right knowledge and behaviour, they still are not always able to find the good products
they are looking for (Austgulen, 2015).
A barrier that is applicable for second hand fashion in particular is that consumers could find hygiene
an issue (Niinimäki, 2010, Hiller Connell, 2018).

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2.5 Summary
Sustainable consumption is a way for consumers to make the current linear fashion system more
circular. 50 percent of the pollution of the fashion industry is related to the ‘’use phase’’ of clothes.
Consumers can choose to consciously make alternative choices, they can boycott or buycott for
example and thereby use their consumption pattern as a political vote. This behaviour of political
consumerism is affected by certain barriers and motivations for consumers to purchase sustainable
fashion.
To illustrate how the different parts of the conceptual framework are related to each other, a visual
figure is created (figure 2.1). The figure presents the motivations and barriers of sustainable
consumers and the different components of political consumerism. The big arrow shows that the
motivations and barriers related to sustainable consumption lead to the strategies of boycotting and
boycotting. Illustrated in a different box are the discursive strategies and lifestyle strategies. They are
presented separately from boycotting and boycotting because the strategies go one step further.
Boycotting and boycotting are directly related to purchasing behaviour, while discursive and lifestyle
strategies illustrate more elaborate consumer roles. However, as is illustrated by the dashed line, the
motivations and barriers of sustainable consumption also have an influence on the discursive and
lifestyle strategies of a consumer.
Within this research, the motivations and barriers of sustainable clothing consumers in The
Netherlands will be used to look at and to understand the different strategies of political
consumerism. Political consumerism will be used as a lens in this research to understand the
sustainable clothing consumers. How this will be done will be explained in the next chapter, the
methodology.
Figure 2.1: Visual image of theoretical framework.

25
3. Methodology
This chapter will exemplify the methodology that is used in this research. The chapter will start with
introducing the groups that this research focuses on. After this the qualitative methods that are used
will be discussed in depth. The different types of interviews will be examined, followed by a list of the
interviewees. Paragraph 3.6 provides an operationalisation of the theory of political consumerism. The
chapter will close with paragraph 3.7, a short conclusion that provides a summary of the chapter.
3.1 Consumer groups studied
To create a thorough image of the sustainable fashion scene in the Netherlands, consumers from
different characteristics of sustainable fashion were interviewed. The focus is on two groups within
consumers of sustainable clothes: consumers of second hand clothes and bloggers about sustainable
fashion. Second hand clothes focus on the re-use of clothes, and thereby contribute to the extended
life span of clothes, as part of circular fashion. Bloggers about sustainable fashion have expertise about
different characteristics of sustainable fashion and communicate this. It is valuable to compare these
two different types of sustainable clothing behaviour, because they have their own characteristics.
These two components will be explained in the following paragraphs.
3.1.2 Second hand clothing consumers
A direct solution to minimize the waste in the fashion industry is second hand clothing. Second hand
clothing refers to selling or donating clothes that are no longer in use to other consumers. Thereby
reuse of clothes is promoted, but it also reduces the demand for newly manufactured clothes and
therefore, natural resources (Todeschini et al., 2017). In Europe alone, 5.8 million tons of textile are
thrown away by consumers each year. Of all this, 75 percent is directed to landfills or ends up in
municipal waste incinerators. However, from all the clothes that are thrown away, 95 percent could
be worn again, either directly or with small alterations (Jijun & Hamouda, 2014). These large numbers
and the fact that second hand clothes are often cheap, show a great potential for second hand
clothing.
The data about second hand fashion consumers has been gathered on the biggest flea market of
Europe, which is held every three weeks. The market is situated in Amsterdam-North at the NDSM
wharf. The flea market is called the IJhallen and has a range of 500-750 different stalls where
individuals and traders sell second hand clothes. Sellers need to pay a fee of 30-37 euros to rent a stall
to sell their goods. The market does not only sell clothes but also antique and other second hand items
(IJhallen, 2018).
3.1.3 Sustainable fashion bloggers
The first group that is elucidated are bloggers about sustainable fashion. Bloggers about sustainable
fashion are individuals, and sometimes duos, that write articles about sustainable fashion. Some
bloggers have an expertise in slow fashion labels, and others focus more on second hand purchases,
vintage clothes, or look at clothing from a minimalistic view. Their websites are often coupled to an
Instagram and Facebook page, which enables them to reach a large public. Because they can reach a
large public, bloggers about sustainable fashion also have an informative role. They can make
consumers more aware of their closet and their needs to buy new clothes. The bloggers that are
interviewed for this research are all living in The Netherlands.

26
The clothes that are discussed by sustainable fashion bloggers are, besides second hand, often slow
fashion labels. Slow fashion refers to clothing production in an opposite way of fast fashion. The
clothes that are produced under the slow fashion movement are often made from better quality
materials, and focus on the durability of the item and the relationship the customer has with the
product (Todeschini et al., 2017). It focuses on minimizing the environmental impact of the product
by using recycled materials or natural fibres such as organic cotton (Ellen MacArthur Foundation,
2017). Besides focusing on the environmental impact it also focuses on the social impact of the
product, and therefore often adopts fair trade principles (Todeschini et al., 2017).
3.1.4 Justification of the groups
In the wide and developing field of sustainable fashion in The Netherlands, it is important to make a
selection on where to focus on. This paragraph will substantiate why the two groups within this
research are chosen and why they are compelling concerning political consumerism.
The consumers at the IJhallen are chosen as a group for sustainable fashion in The Netherlands
because it is the biggest flea-market of Europe. It is situated in the capital, Amsterdam, and the
location is easy to reach. The market attracts different kind of people because it offers unique vintage
items, second hand items for a very low price, and there are stalls that provide more selected
fashionable items that focus on current trends. Purchasing second hand fashion is an important
strategy concerning the shift from the current fashion system to a more circular one. Purchasing
second hand fashion could be a way of boycotting the regular clothing stores. It is compelling to
investigate whether the consumers at the IJhallen buycott certain places or stores, and how
sustainable fashion, and especially second hand clothes, is embedded in their lifestyle and if this
translate into discursive strategies as well.
Bloggers about sustainable fashion are chosen because they are actively involved with sustainable
fashion and are therefore knowledgeable about the topic. It is interesting to investigate how
sustainable clothes are integrated in their lifestyle. They communicate the topic towards a general
audience and are aware of new trends and developments. It is compelling to understand the barriers
and motivations of these pioneer consumers and to see if they boycott and buycott certain places or
brands and to which extent their blogs could be seen as discursive strategies as part of political
consumerism.
3.2 Qualitative research
A substantial amount of research about consumer behaviour is done by the means of questionnaires
(Miller, 2003). However, within questionnaires the chance of getting preferable answers is significant
(Juvan & Dolnicar, 2014). Consumers state in questionnaires that they are environmentally aware,
however, the numbers of sustainable fashion purchases show otherwise. As Miller (2003) illustrates:
‘‘a weakness (...) is the distinction between what survey
respondents say and what they actually ask for or do’’
(Miller, 2003. Page 9).

27
When investigating the motivations and barriers of consumers, these consequences of preferable
answers should be avoided. Therefore this research uses a qualitative approach, to avoid this problem
as much as possible (Juvan & Dolnicar, 2014). The research is based on personal experiences and
behaviour of consumers, which can be best investigated by means of qualitative research (Boeije,
2009). When consumers are approached personally, the trust will increase which will lead to more
honest and trustworthy answers (Baarda, 2013).
3.2.2 Interviews
Qualitative research by means of semi-structured interviews can give an insight in the thoughts of
consumers, giving more valuable in-depth information than questionnaires (Juvan & Dolnicar, 2014).
The interviews in this study are semi-structured. This allows for flexibility during the interview and
also the ability to ask questions outside the interview guide. However, because it is semi-structured,
it is still possible to remain the focus of the discussion (Lundblad & Davies, 2016). This research used
semi-structured interviews and semi-structured in-depth interviews. These will be explained in the
following sub-paragraphs.
3.2.1 Interviews at the IJhallen
The data at the IJhallen is conducted via the means of semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured
interviews have a more spontaneous and loose character than regular interviews because they are
less structured (Baarda, 2013; Boeije, 2009). Because of these characteristics, it was possible to shape
the interview to the characteristics of the respondent, this means that not every question was asked
to every respondent. However, an interview protocol with a list of questions was prepared, to give
structure to the interview, because it is necessary that the most important topics were covered to get
the most valuable information. This interview protocol can be found in annex 1. The respondents were
approached on the place itself. The interviews were relatively short, which gave the opportunity to
reach more respondents.
3.2.2 Interviews with the bloggers
The interviews with the sustainable fashion bloggers are conducted via the means of semi-structured
in-depth interviews. These in-depth interviews provide the opportunity to create an holistic image of
the respondent. These respondents were approached by e-mail or telephone, which makes it a
planned interview. In advance of the interview, an interview protocol was prepared, to provide
structure to the interview and to make sure that all important topics are covered (Baarda, 2013;
Boeije, 2009). The internet protocol can be found in annex 1.
3.3 Data analysis
This paragraph will explain how the interviews resulted in the data for the result section of this
research. All the in-depth interviews were recorded and transcribed. The interviews at the IJhallen
were not recorded, but the interviewer made short notes and wrote a summary of the most important
points directly after the interview. The transcripts and interviews can be found in annex 5 and 6. The
interview protocols can be found in annex 1. The existing literature from the theoretical framework
was used as a tool to frame the questions for the interviews. The conclusion of this research will
compare the results of this research to the existing literature. The qualitative data analysis started
with the results of the interviews (Boeije, 2009). The results were analysed by means of an iterative
process of three steps (observing, analysing and reflecting). This process was repeated until there was
a point of theoretical saturation (Baarda, 2013). The observing part was the data collection by means

28
of interviews. The analysis part was done by coding the data. The reflection part was done by analysing
to what extend the data answers the research question (Baarda, 2013). The analysis of the interviews
was done based on the topics that came clear from the data. The result chapter will clarify this
structure.
3.3.2 Coding
Every interview is transcribed and put in Nvivo. Nvivo is a computer program to code qualitative data.
The transcribing and analysis of the interviews are done directly after the interview, by doing this, the
interview is fresh in the memory while doing the analysis. The transcripts of the interviews can be
found in annex 5 and 6. The quality of the interviews will improve by reflecting on the data in between
the interviews (Baarda, 2013). The first phase of the coding was open-coding, which means that the
codes will stay close to the original texts. This is done to prevent interpreting the data too soon. After
all the interviews were put in Nvivo, the interviews were coded using axial coding. In this phase, the
separate codes were put together in a bigger structure. This structure emerged while coding (Baarda,
2013). After this, the codes were put in a tree structure. This tree structure can be found in annex 3.
During this coding process, the data of the interviews was constantly compared to each other.
3.4 Reliability, validity and replication
The quality of the results of this research is related to the quality of the data that is collected. By taking
the reliability and validity of this research into account, this quality can be insured. The reliability of
the research is the extent to which the results are independent of chance (Baarda, 2013). In this
research, the replica requirement has been taken into account to ensure this reliability. The replica
requirement means that, formally, another researcher should come to the same results when she or
he reproduces the research (Baarda, 2013). In order to be able to realize the replica requirement, the
means of data collection and coding is described in detail in this methodology chapter. The interview
protocols of the interviews can be found in annex 1. However, due to the fact that the interviews in
this research are semi-structured, they are not entirely replicable. This will be at the expense of
reliability of the research. To make the reliability as large as possible, the interviews were recorded
and literally transcribed. The transcripts of the interviews can be found in annex 5 and 6.
3.5 Overview of interviewees
As is mentioned before, consumers from both second hand fashion and bloggers about sustainable
fashion are the respondents in this research. In total, 21 interviews were conducted at the IJhallen.
The interviews with the sustainable fashion bloggers were more in-depth interviews, 11 bloggers are
interviewed. Table 3.1 provides an overview of the number of interviews in this research. Annex 4
provides an overview of the bloggers that are interviewed for this research.
Type of interview Respondents Number
Semi-structured
in-depth interview
Sustainable fashion bloggers 11
Semi-structured interview Consumers at the IJhallen 21
Table 3.1: Overview of number of interviews.

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3.6 Operationalisation political consumerism
The concept of political consumerism is used as a central concept in this research, it is used to look at
the motivations and barriers of sustainable clothing consumers in the Netherlands. Therefore it is
important to operationalize this concept. The interviews with both the consumers at the IJhallen as
the bloggers about sustainable fashion will touch upon characteristics of political consumers, without
explicitly mentioning these characteristics. Annex 3 includes the interview questions substantiated by
literature. This annex functions as an operationalization of the interview questions and clarifies how
political consumerism will be used in this research. However, the four components of political
consumerism that will be used in this research will be exemplified shortly in this paragraph.
The first concepts that are important are boycotting and buycotting (Austgulen, 2016; Hiller Connell,
2018). This will be inquired by asking the respondents if there are certain places or shops that are
actively avoid or supported. This statement will be supported by asking which shops those are and
what the reasons are for either avoiding (boycotting) or supporting (buycotting).
Another important aspect of political consumerism are discursive strategies (Micheletti & Stolle, 2008;
Hiller Connell, 2018). Respondents will be asked if they aim to inspire or motivate others to purchase
sustainable and/or second hand fashion. How respondents will get information about sustainable
products will also be discussed.
The last aspect that is used within this research are lifestyle strategies (Hiller Connell, 2018). Aspects
related to this are whether the respondents are information seeking, where they buy their clothes, if
they use alternative options such as second hand clothes, and what their vision on sustainable fashion
is and how this is expressed in their everyday life and vision about clothing.
3.7 Conclusion
In short, this research uses qualitative research with both semi-structured interviews and semi-
structured in-depth interviews. This is done by means of two different groups. Consumers at a second
hand market the IJhallen in Amsterdam, and Dutch sustainable fashion bloggers. Second hand fashion
focus on the re-use of clothes, and thereby contribute to the extended life span of clothes, as part of
circular fashion. Bloggers about sustainable fashion have expertise about different characteristics of
sustainable fashion and communicate this. It is valuable to compare these two different types of
sustainable fashion behaviour, because they have their own characteristics. Bloggers about
sustainable fashion and consumers at the IJhallen are approached as respondents of this research.
The next two chapters will present the results of the data collection. Chapter 4 will present the results
of the IJhallen and chapter 5 will present the results of the interviews with the bloggers about
sustainable fashion. The results are presented separately to give a clear image of the social world in
which the data is collected. The data will be compared, discussed and concluded in chapter 6.

30
4. Consuming second hand clothes at the IJhallen
This chapter will present the results of the interviews at the IJhallen that were conducted for this
research. In total, 21 interviews were conducted at the IJhallen. The transcripts of the interview data
on which this chapter is based, can be found in appendix 5. The respondents are given a number (1-21)
and these numbers are occasionally added between brackets to clarify which respondent performed a
certain behaviour. The first paragraph will present the motivations of the respondents and the barriers
that are faced. Paragraph 4.2 will discuss the boycotting and buycotting of the respondents. After this,
paragraph 4.3 will present the discursive strategies. The chapter will end with paragraph 4.4 about
lifestyle. Key findings are presented at the end of each paragraph.
4.1 Motivations and barriers
Central to this research are the motivations that are underlying the sustainable clothing consumption
of the sustainable clothing consumers and the barriers that are faced while aiming to consume
sustainable clothes. This paragraph will discuss the motivations of consumers at the IJhallen in
paragraph 4.1.1 and the barriers in 4.1.2. An overview of the motivations and barriers are presented
in figure 4.1 in paragraph 4.1.3.
4.1.1 Motivations
The consumers at the IJhallen are driven by different motivations. All the respondents stated that they
purchased clothes at the IJhallen because they are cheap. The possibility of finding items for a low
price is an important motivation for the consumers. Besides the price, an important motivation is the
opportunity of finding unique pieces. Almost all the respondents like it when a piece of clothing has a
story and that they are able to give it a second life. As stated by a female respondent, 40 years old: ‘’I
don’t really like the basic things, I prefer it so much more when something is unique and special.’’
Besides that an item is unique and special, a few respondents (No. 14 and 15) stated that they are
motivated to buy second hand clothes because of the higher quality. Almost all the respondents stated
that they are motivated by the sustainable aspect of purchasing second hand clothes. Connected to
this, a lot of respondents stated that they think that there are already a lot of clothes produced, and
that it is not necessary to purchase new items. As stated by a male respondent, 32 years old: ‘’It is not
necessary to buy everything new, this really shouldn’t be so normal in my opinion. Buying everything
new all the time doesn’t make you happy!’’ Some respondents also stated that they like the
atmosphere of the market, and that it is a pleasant activity to stroll around and look for items.
4.1.2 Barriers
The biggest barrier for consumers at the IJhallen to purchase sustainable fashion besides second hand
clothes is the price. All the respondents stated that the price of second hand clothing is low, and
therefore a good alternative to new produced clothes, but that new produced clothes from a
sustainable brand are expensive. Another barrier is that the availability of sustainable clothes in the
regular stores is low. According to almost all the respondents, this meant that it cost them more effort
and time to find an item, and when they do not actively search for it, they do not come across it a lot
in their daily life. For some respondents (No. 2, 7, 8, 14, 15, 19, 20 ) the issue of availability is also
applicable to the case with second hand clothes. According to a female respondent, 23 years old:
‘’Sometimes when I am looking for something specific, I would rather go to a Bershka or H&M because
then you know that you can find it there. In second hand shops or markets like the IJhallen you need to
search really good and be lucky.’’ Another barrier for some of the respondents is that it is sometimes

31
hard to identify when something is really sustainable. As stated by a female, 25 years old: ‘’I think that
there are some labels that present themselves as very sustainable, but it really isn't that good in reality.
I would like to know more about sustainable fashion so I will get better in estimating if something is
really sustainable.´´ Consumers (No. 2, 10, 18) added that they sometimes felt like they lack
information about the topic, and that they are willing to learn more about it. However, there are also
respondents (No. 1 and 4) that did not experience any barriers.
4.1.3 In sum
Figure 4.1 below presents the motivations and barriers of the consumers at the IJhallen.
Figure 4.1: The motivations and barriers of consumers at the IJhallen.
4.2 Boycotting and buycotting
This paragraph will go into depth about boycotting and buycotting. Sub-paragraph 4.2.1 will exemplify
the places that are avoided by the consumer at the IJhallen to purchase their clothes. Sub-paragraph
4.2.2 will illustrate the places that are supported by the consumers at the IJhallen. The key findings
are presented in figure 4.2 in sub-paragraph 4.2.3.
4.2.1 Boycotting
Around half of the respondents (No. 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 19 and 21) at the IJhallen are actively avoiding
regular clothing stores. A fair share of these respondents (No. 1, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12) stated that they
only buy second hand clothes. Besides these consumers, there are also respondents that do not avoid
certain stores. They stated that the clothes they wear and buy are a combination of clothes from
regular stores and second hand stores. Almost all the respondents stated that they avoid stores such
as the Primark. According to a female respondent, 45 years old: ‘’With t-shirts of 5 euros you know
that it isn’t right, it is just not possible. [...] I also told my kids that they are not allowed to purchase
their clothes there anymore.’’ And confirmed by a male respondent, 26 years old: ‘’Their biggest selling
point is being cheap, so then you know it is of the expense of all the other aspects such as the
production process, materials, quality and their employees.’’ However, respondents stated that they
find it difficult to decide when a store is really unsustainable. They do not know enough about the
production process behind their clothes. As stated by a female respondent, 25 years old: ‘’The other
stores are probably just as bad, but at the Primark it is just very clear’’. This is confirmed by another
respondent, female and 23 years old: ‘’We know very little about the production process of clothes and
I think that the labels themselves also don’t even know how their clothes are produced. If you purchase
something at Primark or at Chanel, I think they are both not classified as ‘sustainable brands’. I think
that you can’t buy sustainable clothes in any store in the general shopping street, so than you should
avoid everything.’’

32
4.2.2 Buycotting
When asked if there were certain stores that the respondents supported, almost all of the consumers
at the IJhallen stated that they support second hand stores and markets such as the IJhallen. As
explained by a female respondent, 28 years old: ‘’I stimulate it that when clothes are qualitative still
good, they don’t have to be thrown away.’’ Besides second hand stores and the IJhallen, almost half
of the respondents stated that they prefer small and local stores. The idea of supporting a small brand
is attractive because the respondent is able to know who the items made, and how they were made.
As stated by a female respondent, 45 years old: ‘’Unique products with a story.’’ There were some
respondents (No. 4, 7, 10 and 12) that want to support brands and stores that focus on newly
produced sustainable clothes. However, the respondents that indicated this stated that they are at
the beginning of this process, and that in their opinion, they do not have enough knowledge about the
topic of sustainable clothes yet.
4.2.3 In sum
Figure 4.2 below presents the boycotting and buycotting of the consumers at the IJhallen.
Figure 4.2: boycotting and buycotting of the consumers at the IJhallen.
4.3 Discursive strategies
This paragraph will discuss the discursive characteristics of the consumers at the IJhallen. None of the
respondents receive negative reactions on the fact that they wear second hand clothes, or when they
tell people in their direct environment that they go to the IJhallen. However, a few respondents (No.
4, 6, 7, 10 and 17) stated that they can imagine that some people would not like to go there, or would
think that it is unhygienic. However, they do not experience these reactions themselves.
Almost all respondents stated that they do not actively try to convince or stimulate people because
they are afraid of being too ‘’preachy’’. There were a few respondents that really want to motivate
other people to be more aware of the clothes they buy. These respondents try to motivate other
people to purchase more second hand clothes. Some respondents ( No. 7, 9, 11 and 13) also stated
that they were asked to join friends or other people to join them when they want to go shopping for
second hand clothes. As stated by a female respondent around 30: ‘’Sometimes people ask me to join
them to a second hand shop, or a vintage store. A lot of people say: How do you find these nice things?
I can never find them! And then they ask me to help them.’’
The respondents that do not actively motivate other people still support purchasing second hand
clothes and sometimes give suggestions to other people to purchase a certain item second hand.
Consumers at the IJhallen (No. 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20 and 21) like to say that a piece of clothing
that they bought is second hand. As stated by a male respondents, 32 years old: ‘’I am not really an
activist, but I try to stimulate other people to go to second hand stores. By showing that I wear

33
something second hand for example, I really like to radiate that vibe.’’ The respondents at the IJhallen
are all in favour of second hand clothes and are happy to share that with the people, if it is a topic of
conversation.
Figure 4.3: Discursive strategies by consumers at the IJhallen
4.4 Lifestyle strategies
This paragraph discusses characteristics of the lifestyle of consumers at the IJhallen related to
sustainable clothes. All the consumers at the IJhallen are aware of the negative effects of the fashion
industry. Illustrated by a female respondent, 45 years old: “Everyone knows the image of the little
factories with poor work circumstances.’’ However, every respondent has their own definition to what
sustainable clothes are. More than half of the respondents include all the aspects of sustainable
fashion in their definition, including a broad descriptionof the environmental and social aspects. Other
respondents however see sustainable clothes for example as unique pieces, or clothes that are
expensive, or clothes that last long.
Almost all the respondents visit the IJhallen market quite frequently and only one respondent (No. 5)
stated that it was his first time at the IJhallen. Respondents stated that sustainable clothes are a quite
new phenomenon for most people around them, including themselves. As stated by a female
respondent, 32 years old: ‘’For people in my environment, sustainability is a topic, but sustainable
fashion is quite new for them.’’ However, respondents state that they see an increase in awareness.
Illustrated by a male respondent, 28 years old: ‘’Today I am here with my girlfriend, but I also have
some friends that are here today, and I don’t think they would have go before, so more and more
people in my environment are going. I am more open for it myself too.’’
Almost half of the respondents at the IJhallen (No. 1, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13) stated that they only
buy second hand clothes. This is an active choice because they do not see the need to purchase new
items when there are already so much clothes produced. The other respondents stated to wear both
clothes from regular stores and second hand clothes.
Some respondents (No. 7, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 21) are actively looking for sustainable products,
and look for this information online. Some respondents (No. 3, 7, 10 and 21) referred to bloggers or
Instagrammers about sustainable clothes. There is also a fair share of respondents that do not actively
look for information, but come across it online.
Except for a few exceptions (No. 5, 8, 12 and 20) all respondents feel responsible to consume in a
sustainable way and think they can make a difference as an individual. As stated by a female
respondent, 22 years old: ‘’You still make a difference, even though it is small, other people see that
you do it, and they can decide to behave more sustainable too! If this really results in positive effects

34
on national level is only visible when more individuals act this way.’’ The respondents that do not think
that they can make a difference as an individual think that it is not all in the hands of the consumers,
but that the government should play an important role too. Sometimes they also feel demotivated to
consume sustainable because they see other people consume unsustainable items. However, almost
all the respondents make sustainable consumption choices. As stated by a female respondent, 23
years old: ‘’Everyone can help to live sustainable. If a million people say that they want to consume in
a sustainable way, you really make a huge difference. Together you can make this difference and your
individual contribution is super important.’’
A finding that was originally not in the topic list but became a topic for conversation in a lot of
interviews was the attitude about the topic. It was mentioned already at the paragraph about
buycotting, because it is in line with each other. From the interviews became clear that respondents
think that attitude is an important aspect when it comes to purchasing sustainable clothes and
awareness around clothing consumption. They notice that for more and more people the attitude is
changing. People realize the negative consequences of the fast fashion industry, try to turn away from
this and that second hand and sustainable clothes are getting more popular. As stated by a male
respondent, 32 years old: ‘’I think mindset is an important part, it is not necessary to buy everything
new, this really should become less normal in my opinion. Buying everything new all the time doesn’t
necessarily make you happy.’’ This attitude also becomes visible through the fact that almost half of
the respondents only buy second hand clothes. Respondents explained that it is also an attitude
change in how you use and see clothes. As illustrated by a female respondent, 25 years old: ‘’I think it
is mainly by how you use the product if clothes are sustainable or not. If you buy something from H&M
but use it for 10 years, it is sustainable in my eyes too.’’ In this sense sustainable clothing consumer is
for most respondents part of an elaborate sustainable lifestyle.
Figure 4.4: Lifestyle strategies by consumers at the IJhallen

35
5. Writing blogs about sustainable fashion
This chapter will present the results of the interviews with the bloggers about sustainable fashion that
were conducted for this research. In total, 11 bloggers about sustainable fashion were interviewed.
The first paragraph will present the motivations and barriers of the respondents, followed by
paragraph 5.2 about the boycotting and buycotting of the bloggers. After this, paragraph 5.3 will
present the discursive strategies. The chapter will end with paragraph 5.4 about lifestyle. In the end
the key findings are presented in paragraph 5.7. Key findings are presented at the end of each
paragraph.
5.1 Motivations and barriers
This paragraph will discuss the motivations that are underlying the sustainable clothing consumption
of the bloggers about sustainable fashion in paragraph 5.1.1. Paragraph 5.1.2 will discuss the barriers
that are faced while aiming to consume sustainable clothes. An overview of the motivations and
barriers are presented in figure 5.1 in paragraph 5.1.3.
5.1.1 Motivations
The most important motivation for all the sustainable fashion bloggers to purchase sustainable
clothing is the environment. All the bloggers stated that the environmentally unfriendly production
process of fast fashion is an important reason to focus on sustainable clothes. Besides environmental
reasons, nearly all bloggers stated that the social aspects of the fashion industry is an important
motivation. The unfair work circumstances and the possibility of child labour are motivations to focus
on sustainable clothes instead of fast fashion. Other reasons are not wanting to support use of animal
products, and included veganism as an aspect of sustainable clothing. All bloggers see second hand
fashion as a part of sustainable fashion. Second hand clothes are preferred over new produced clothes
by some of the bloggers. The bloggers acknowledge that second hand clothes are good for the
environment because there are no resources used, and no production process needs to happen. Some
respondents stated that they are motivated by direct events, such as the collapsing of the Rana Plaza
factory or watching certain documentaries such as ‘’The True Cost’’. However, almost all bloggers
stated that it was a process, from the first realisations until actual not buying any fast fashion anymore.
As stated by blogger Hermien: ‘’At a certain moment I realized that I just don’t want to contribute to
it anymore, and then I radically stopped buying fast fashion.’’ There are also respondents that look at
sustainable clothes with a minimalistic perspective. Such as blogger Anja: ‘’Naturally, consuming is not
a good thing, it is better to buy nothing’’ These consumers would prefer to buy noting. However, if
they had to buy something, they wanted to purchase a sustainable product.
5.1.2 Barriers
The biggest barrier for all the bloggers about sustainable fashion is the availability of clothes in stores.
As stated by blogger Anne: ‘’You can’t just walk into the regular shopping street and buy your clothes
there’’. Bloggers stated that there is a large availability of sustainable clothes online, but that it is
difficult to find them in stores. Ordering clothes online is an option for most bloggers, but sometimes
this comes with barriers, because they are not able to see, try and fit the clothes before purchasing
them. This is found to be especially difficult with jeans and shoes. The external consequences related
to purchasing items online are the polluting transport and packaging, and these are seen as
unfavourable. Another important barrier is the price of sustainable clothes. Even though most
bloggers are open to purchasing less items and investing in good pieces, the price remains an

36
important barrier. Most bloggers try to overcome this barriers by purchasing second hand items.
Besides physical availability in stores and price, the actual availability of sustainable clothes is also
experienced as a barrier. Bloggers really see it as a quest to find the items they want. The bloggers
stated that the available clothes are for a large share with a minimalistic and basic style, that did not
always fit the personal style of the respondent. Blogger Sytse stated that the available sustainable
clothes for men are even more scarce. Another barrier faced by bloggers about sustainable clothes is
the question when something is really sustainable. Almost all the bloggers are alert on greenwashing
and find it hard to be a 100 percent sure if something is sustainable.
Some bloggers also stated that the attitude can be a difficult barrier. The attitude of the person itself,
but also the attitude of their social environment. For the general society, fast fashion is normal, and
for some bloggers it was difficult in the beginning to change this perception for themselves. However,
most bloggers now feel further in this process and completely changed their attitude about clothes.
Most bloggers have been writing and researching about sustainable fashion for a few years, and
noticed that most of their barriers got less, as they have more knowledgeable about the topic of
sustainable clothes. There are a few bloggers that stated that they don’t face any barriers while aiming
to purchase sustainable clothes. As stated by blogger Stephanie: ‘’Actually, I don’t think it is difficult.
It is a mindset and it will make you think different about clothes. You don’t need to have the newest of
the newest anymore. Sometimes it may take you more time to find what you are looking for, but you
should see that search as a challenge. And if you find your item then, it feels really good.’’ More about
the attitude will be discussed in paragraph 5.4 about lifestyle.
5.1.3 In sum
Figure 5.1 below presents the motivations and barriers of the bloggers about sustainable fashion.
Figure 5.1: The motivations and barriers of the bloggers about sustainable fashion.
5.2 Boycotting and buycotting
This paragraph will illustrate the places and stores that are avoided by bloggers about sustainable
fashion, this will be done in sub-paragraph 5.2.1 about boycotting. Sub-paragraph 5.2.2 will go into
depth about buycotting, the places that are supported by the bloggers of sustainable fashion. Figure
5.2 in sub-paragraph 5.2.3 provides an overview.

37
5.2.1 Boycotting
All the bloggers have stores and places they avoid to purchase their clothes. These stores are the
regular clothing stores such as Primark, Zara, H&M, Mango, and others. As stated by blogger Hermien:
‘’There is no reason why I should go to the regular shopping street.’’ And confirmed by blogger
Marielle: ‘’I never go to the city centre anymore if I am looking for a new item.’’
Most bloggers were quite clear in the fact that they do not want to purchase fast fashion anymore,
and that they do not want to be associated with it anymore, because it does not feel good. As
explained by blogger Stephanie: ‘’If I step into a Zara right now I would go crazy. You see when you
walk into the store that it is the embodiment of Fast Fashion. You notice it by the way the items are
presented and the quality of the pieces [...] I don’t want to identify myself with that anymore.’’ As
stated by blogger Sytse about fast fashion stores: ‘’It is not possible that clothes are produced this
cheap, without someone else paying the price by working in horrible circumstances.’’
Besides that the stores are not in line with their believes and values, some bloggers, such as Marielle,
added: ‘’The less I support the regular stores, the more they need to change.’’ The bloggers think that
by boycotting certain stores or brands, they can use their voice to make an impact on the current
system.
Although most of the bloggers never go to the regular stores to purchase clothes, there were some
gradations in to what extent the bloggers were avoiding the fast fashion stores. Some exceptions were
made. Some bloggers are more open to certain stores that are not obviously sustainable, but have a
conscious clothing line for example. However, also in these stores, all the bloggers would always check
the origin and material of the item. Other bloggers are attentive to greenwashing, and would never
purchase anything in a regular store. As stated by blogger Sytse: ‘’Some stores have ‘conscious’
products, but in my view this is only greenwashing’’. The is in line with the barrier that the bloggers
stated to have with identifying whether something is truly sustainable.
5.2.2 Buycotting
All the bloggers have lists of their favourite sustainable brands, stores, and online web shops. These
include online marketplaces such as Martkplaats and United Wardrobe, online web shops that offer a
wide collection of sustainable brands such as Project Cece, or the respondents purchase brands such
as Mudd jeans, Goat, Armed Angels and Wolf & Storm, which they purchase online or in local stores.
Most bloggers try to actively support shops by purchasing their clothes there. Such as blogger
Hermien: ‘’I try to divide my purchased over multiple fair Dutch web shops and brands, because I think
it is super important that they exist and that there is a large availability and choice. They are the ones
who are going to make sustainable fashion accessible for the general public.’’ Bloggers realize that
the share of sustainable brands and stores is limited, and therefore want to support them. This is also
confirmed by blogger Sara: ‘’I like to support stores that are in line with my believes, by doing this, I
can help to make the company bigger.’’ As added by Hermien: ‘’In the end the companies make what
we want to buy’’.
Second hand clothes are mentioned as a preferable option to purchase sustainable clothes. It is seen
as a sustainable option and by some bloggers, preferred over buying something new. Some bloggers
stated that they like to support the local second hand stores, also because these stores make

38
sustainable clothes available for the public. As stated by blogger Noor: ‘’By shopping at second hand
stores, you can shop outside of the paved ways’’ She explained that by purchasing second hand
clothes, she can avoid the current fashion system.
5.2.3 In sum
Figure 5.2 below presents the boycotting and buycotting of the bloggers about sustainable fashion.
Figure 5.2: boycotting and buycotting of the bloggers about sustainable fashion.
5.5 Discursive strategies
This paragraph will discuss the discursive characteristics of the bloggers about sustainable fashion.
The bloggers stated that by writing blogs about sustainable fashion, they can stay critical on the
newest developments in the field of sustainable fashion. It keeps them up to date. They also stated
that it is a way for themselves to achieve new information, and for some bloggers that was the reason
for starting the blog in the first place. Blogger Anne explained: ‘’We can all go for the same quest but
it is not necessary to all try to invent the wheel, we can help each other! And that is basically the reason
why we started.’’ And as stated by Anja: ‘’My blog is the way to show other people my vision, and
things of which I think, this can help other people too.’’ Blogger Noor explained that she started her
blog to be an example for others, by showing how she does it. She stated: ‘’I think I am planting a seed,
and how more input they get, the easier it will be for the tree to grow.’’ The bloggers use their blogs
to inform other people about topics related to sustainable fashion, and try to motivate and help other
people.
Some bloggers state that in their direct surrounding, people are aware of the negative consequences
of the fashion industry, and purchase sustainable clothes. Other bloggers however, state that people
around them are not really actively involved in the topic of sustainable clothes. According to blogger
Anne, sustainable clothing is quite a new topic for people, she thinks that if the availability in clothing
stores is improved, the awareness will increase too. All bloggers state that they get positive reactions
on their blog. However, they do not want to push the people in their direct surroundings. As stated by
Sophie: ‘’I don’t want to push my values and norms to my friends and family.’’ Most bloggers are afraid
that they are too ‘’preachy’’ if they talk about the topic too much in real life. The respondents state
that it is different in real life than for their blog. As explained by blogger Hermien: ‘’I try to motivate
people to buy less, and if they purchase something, to purchase a better and more sustainable product.
But my blog is the place where I do that the most.’’
However, the bloggers do feel that they have an impact on their social environment. Some bloggers
stated that when they make a comment about an outfit of a friend or colleague, they sometimes get
the reaction in which they said ‘’Oh but it is not sustainable!’’ (Interview with blogger Hermien). The
bloggers stated that this makes them realize that even though they do not talk about it often with the
people in their direct environment, they somehow have an influence. As explained by blogger Sara:

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