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Cited by 101Environmental Sustainability in BusinessSustainable Supply Chain ManagementSustainable Design and Development

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Communicating actionable sustainability information to consumers: The Shades of Green instrument for fashion

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Turunen, Linda Lisa Maria, Halme, Minna·2021·Journal of Cleaner Production
DOI 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126605
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Abstract

There is growing information about sustainability and growing consumer awareness about these issues, but none of these are readily translating into action. In this paper we look at why the information provided to consumers on sustainability issues and their solutions are not sufficiently actionable, and propose an alternative method of communicating product-related sustainability information to consumers. Our Shades of Green (SoG) instrument is designed to help and support consumers in their decision-making by providing simple yet comprehensive information about the environmental and social sustainability impacts of products. It brings clarity to sustainability communication on the consumer-company interface by incorporating a set of key sustainability issues over the product’s life-cycle by dividing these issues into three levels from minimum through advanced integration of sustainability to innovation for sustainability. Additionally, the SoG instrument makes it easier for companies to structure their sustainability communication into a more actionable form. We illustrate the operationalization of the SoG instrument for the textile domain.

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Metadata

Authors
Turunen, L. L. M., & Halme, M.
Affiliations
Aalto University (FI)
Corresponding author
Turunen, Linda Lisa Maria
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Cleaner Production
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-05
Volume
297
Pages
126605
ISSN
0959-6526 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126605
OpenAlex
W3135401349
Cited by
101
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 6
FWCI
15.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Cleaner Production (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Aaltodoc (Aalto University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Strategic Research Council
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Environmental Sustainability in Business
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Sustainable Design and Development
Keywords
sustainability communication, purchase decision, fashion, textile industry, product life cycle

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