Greenpeace’s Detox Campaign: Towards a More Sustainable Textile Industry

Abstract

The apparel industry has been criticized for its unsustainability, with dominant fashion firms promoting continuous changes in clothing trends, product obsolescence, and ever-increasing consumer purchases. Apparel firms have also been criticized for using highly pollutant, insecure, and unhealthy production methods, setting irregular work conditions, and paying exceptionally low wages, among other unsustainable practices.

Greenpeace’s Detox campaign was a major response to the need for profound supply- and demand-side sustainability changes in the textile industry. The main goal of the Detox campaign was to reduce water pollution caused by toxic chemicals stemming from the global textile industry by targeting and securing commitment from major clothing brands. This case study draws attention to the agent/developer (i.e., Greenpeace as an NGO), main targets (brands), and the scope of the Detox campaign. It will also consider the barriers to and benefits of the pursued goals, approaches, strategies, marketing actions taken to address those barriers and benefits, and the societal outcomes and industry consequences.