Vastuullisuusarvot suomalaisten tekstiiliyritysten tarinoissa

Abstract

Textile industry causes significant negative environmental and social impacts. Sustainability in the industry has lately yielded more and more research interest, however, sustainability communication is underresearched area. In this paper, we will focus on sustainability communications in the Finnish textile industry through the stories of companies in their webpages. Storytelling has traditionally been a mode of transmitting, producing and reproducing the culture. Stories produce a structure in the reality, explain phenomena and concretize abstract concepts. In this research, we approach the stories as rhetorical devises, which address, attract and connect the reader to the company behind the story. We analysed 172 companies’ webpages by focusing on the common themes addressing sustainability. Our analysis revealed six themes: durability, opposing fast-fashion, conscious consuming, transparent processes, Finnish and local production, and (Finnish) nature. Corporate sustainability stories use various rhetorical means to convey the image of sustainability. The story structures include ideas of change, solving problems and building a better world. However, it is vital to remember that sustainability communications also define what sustainability is. Corporate sustainability stories invite the reader to accept the corporate view on sustainability.