An Exploration of Transformative Learning Applied to the Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability for Fashion Consumers

Abstract

Growing awareness and concern about sustainability worldwide has drawn attention to the sustainability practices of the textile and apparel industry and its consumers. In particular, educating consumers about sustainability becomes more important as it can increase their sustainability awareness and prompt action. Therefore, based on the transformative learning theory, this study was designed to explore the current knowledge of sustainability of Generation Z fashion consumers by observing and analyzing a focus group discussion. A qualitative research method was used, twenty participants in four focus groups participated, and two activities were implemented during the focus group sessions in this study. A thematic analysis was used to interpret the qualitative transcribed data. Five themes emerged from the focus group discussion, including Normalizing Customer Activism, Short-Sighted Actions, Story Sharing with Others, Filling the Information Gap, and Challenging but Not Impossible. The results show that consumers have a limited understanding of sustainability, i.e., they are primarily concerned about the environmental aspect of sustainability. However, the knowledge and discussion extracted through video and website browsing led to transformative learning among the participants, thereby changing their understanding of sustainability from a predominantly environmental perspective to one that encompasses social aspects. In addition, after this learning process, fashion consumers can perceive sustainability more holistically as a balance of the three aspects of sustainability. The findings of this study can be applied to inform educational programs and create opportunities for reframing marketing strategies by leveraging various technological platforms.

1. Introduction

Sustainability is a concept concerning the satisfaction of present needs without compromising the well-being of future generations via the conservation of natural and other resources [1]. Specifically, the triple bottom line (TBL) theory [2,3] describes a concept of sustainability wherein people, the planet, and profit intercept each other through an equal emphasis on all three aspects, i.e., people, the planet, and profit. Nowadays, many companies use the term “sustainability” for their business strategies and products. For a product to be sustainable, it should possess prerequisite conditions, such as being economically sustainable, socially responsible, and having environmentally friendly components [4]. For example, regarding the environmentally friendly component, Whole Foods and Walmart have introduced store bags produced from recycled materials to replace plastic bags and reduced the packaging for goods [5]. In addition, some companies, such as NatureClean and Green Works, practice transparency by explicitly disclosing information about their products’ ingredients. Some other brands, such as Purex and Clorox, have begun practicing sustainability by providing sustainably produced products and packaging due to growing concerns about sustainability and the use of green products to prevent the depletion of natural resources [5,6]. To assess a company’s performance, the TBL is widely used, which measures an organization’s economic, social, and environmental performance. To increase the awareness of sustainability in different stakeholders, including consumers, manufacturers, vendors, and investors, companies should use TBL practices for their business model, which can result in various advantages, such as high market capitalization and market shares, worker satisfaction, and good working environments, among others. These advantages are achieved by combining chronological economic growth, adequate social bonding among people, and the responsibility of taking care of the environment to ensure a healthy environment for people through responsible business [6,7]. The result of a study conducted by the United Nations Environment Program, i.e., UNEP (2010), showed that approximately 40% of consumers have a positive intention to buy sustainable products from the market [8]. However, only 4% of these consumers buy sustainable products. Researchers also found that consumers are skeptical about the quality of products produced by companies from recycled materials. Thus, some people have a negative attitude toward buying products from companies attempting to practice sustainability [9]. Although some fashion companies have made efforts in their business strategy regarding sustainability, there is still a large gap between consumer education regarding sustainability and how these companies can collaborate with consumers to be more sustainable [10]. Thus, this demonstrates the need to understand what consumers know and how we can educate them to take sustainable actions.

Furthermore, product consumption behaviors could differ by generation. In the US market, Generation Z includes individuals born in or after 1995. Among all generation cohorts, members of Generation Z are more concerned about the health of their lifestyles and have a tendency to pay more for products that are healthy due to their high levels of health awareness [11]. Even though Generation Z is a part of the large consumer market and is the most interested in incorporating sustainability practices, there has been little research on Generation Z consumers’ awareness of sustainable fashion via transformative learning, including sustainable-knowledge-based videos and website browsing. In addition, the buying behavior of Generation Z was not explored in the previous literature [12]. Recognizing that Generation Z consumers’ in-depth understanding of sustainable behavior is influenced by transformative learning can provide opportunities for retail marketers to reframe marketing strategies using different technological platforms and inform environmentally based educational programs. Thus, this study aims to understand the knowledge and perception of Generation Z regarding sustainability in the apparel and textile industry. In addition, this study explores how the understanding and perception of sustainability are changed via the interactive activities implemented in the focus group sessions through the application of transformative learning theory.

2. Theoretical Background

2.1. Transformative Learning Theory

Transformative learning theory was introduced by Meizirow in 1978 [13,14]. This theory indicates that people transform the meaning of any story, incident, or fact based on their reflection, experience, and interaction with that event. Depending on their response to an event, a person’s frame of reference may change, thus resulting in transformative learning [14].

Achieving sustainable development involves not only dealing with technical issues but also the transformation of social knowledge and targeting some basic frames of reference that can transform sustainability knowledge into action throughout society. The transformative learning theory explains that people can change their frames of reference deliberately. Thus, people could create or change their frames of reference based on their learning and experiences [15,16]. Mezirow [17] also proposed ten phases that an adult may experience. The ten phases include a disorienting dilemma, a self-examination, a critical assessment of different assumptions, recognition, the exploration of options, planning and action, knowledge acquisition, trying new roles, building self-confidence or competence, and the reintegration of knowledge [18]. However, according to Mezirow [19], the learning reflection of an individual’s transformative learning occurs based on beliefs and assumptions about the topics being taught.

Although the transformative learning theory includes ten long, disintegrated stages of learning changes (transformation), transformative learning can be described by three fundamental phases for better understanding. First, transformative learning begins with a disorienting dilemma in which an individual finds a discrepancy between their previous experience and their present needs [20]. From this point, a person’s second phase of transformative learning (i.e., self-reflection) occurs. In the second phase, an individual goes through a stage of critical assessment by comparing their gathered experience and newly acquired knowledge through a thorough review of available information and options. In the third phase, an individual begins to recognize a problem and attempts to find an alternative way to solve it. Thus, recognition and exploration occur [21]. After these primary phases, an individual develops a plan to implement to modify their action. Therefore, the other phases mentioned in the transformative learning theory (i.e., planning an action, knowledge acquisition, trying new roles, building self-confidence or competence, and the reintegration of knowledge) help individuals develop a plan to incorporate that modification into their behavior [20,21]. Since Generation Z consumers are significant consumers in the retail market and are more likely to have interests in sustainable activities, transformative learning can encourage extensive change in the learner, especially through experiences that fundamentally shape Z consumers’ perspectives of sustainability in the apparel and textile industries and create a lasting effect on their future behaviors.

2.2. Triple Bottom Line Theory

The triple bottom line (TBL) theory explains sustainability by incorporating its three pillars: economic, social, and environmental aspects [22]. According to the European Commission (2001), the TBL is a concept for measuring a company’s overall achievement based on its contributions to economic progress, social accountability, and environmental quality [23]. Moreover, daily sustainability is becoming an undeniable issue for all stakeholders, including customers, employees, environments, suppliers, and local communities [24]. Another concept of the green economy is proposed to minimize the threats of depleting available resources for both present and future generations. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the concepts of the green economy will improve social equity by reducing ecological imbalance and environmental risks. In addition, establishing a green economy ensures the coexistence of society and nature. The concept of a green economy was first introduced in 2005 at the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia [8,25]. Nevertheless, the TBL theory is still widely accepted by different business organizations. Therefore, this study addressed finding an effective way to educate consumers to broaden their knowledge of different aspects of sustainability based on the TBL model.

3. Literature Review

3.1. Sustainability

The concept of sustainability evolved in the 1980s and was widely promoted by publications of the United Nation’s “Brundtland Report”. This report also referred to Our Common Future, which was published in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) and contained the concept of sustainable development. The concept of sustainability also indicates using natural resources for the present needs of a standard lifestyle without impairing the balance of the ecosystem and, most importantly, resources that can be replenished by human activity or the environmental system [23,26]. Sustainability is defined as availing the best of any available resources without compromising future needs [22,27]. For the long-term management of available resources, sustainability is widely used as a strategic plan in many government and non-government organizations in areas including energy, climate change, health, housing, safety, and textile processing [23,27,28]. Sustainability shows the importance of the economy, society, and the environment and demonstrates the interdependence of these three aspects. The concept of sustainability has provided a framework for sustainable production and consumption by combining all three aspects and engaging in collaborative work [26].

3.2. Fashion and Sustainability

Fashion consumers often desire to buy products to create their identity to fit social norms [29]. Moreover, the textile and apparel sectors have drawn the world’s attention to their unsustainable activities after several environmental and anthropogenic incidents occurred in recent years, including the Rana Plaza incident, the collapse of an apparel factory in Bangladesh, the industries’ excessive water consumption for the processing of materials, and their disposal of significant amounts of waste after processing [30]. In addition, the chemicals in the textile industry’s wastewater negatively affect humans, insects, animals, and the environment [31]. Due to a lack of knowledge about sustainability, the negative impact on the environment is snowballing with the increasing disposal of fashion items as waste [29]. Meanwhile, fashion retailers are also confronting issues such as the import of products from develo** countries, which requires more lead time, errors in forecasting, excessive inventory, and consumer dissatisfaction [32]. Therefore, researchers emphasize that balancing all three aspects of sustainability in a business (i.e., economic, social, and environmental) can resolve these issues in society and the environment [32]. On the other hand, the environmental aspect of sustainability has become a more important issue at present, making the social aspect secondarily important. One reason for this is that sometimes business or commercial organizations think the responsibilities regarding social aspects, including maintaining human rights and proper cohesion in society, belong to the government. Finally, defining the social aspect is difficult, unlike other aspects of sustainability [33]. Thus, it is necessary to set strategies for ethical sourcing, worker empowerment, and fair wages.

Fashion is strongly associated with a person’s individuality, and consumption in the retail industry can be influenced by a person’s expression of their own opinions through the availability of products and the number of selected products made in compliance with sustainability principles [34]. Among all generations, 68% of Generation Z consumers, who were generally born between 1997 and 2012, were reported to be eco-friendly shoppers who are significantly more concerned about environmental awareness and sustainability issues and often choose companies implementing sustainability principles [12,35]. Emekci (2019) confirms that consumers who care about the environment should pay more attention to sustainability in their buying behaviors [36]. Since Generation Z consumers are more widespread users of communication technologies and social media and tend to develop strong feelings and perceptions regarding the products retailers provide, changing their perceptions and providing knowledge about fashion sustainability could affect the environmental transformation of businesses promoting sustainable practices.

3.3. Socially Responsible Consumer Behavior

Perception is the process of consumers interpretating a product or service after exposure to marketing stimuli [37,38,39]. Perception is also often involved with ethics, so a high perception of ethics will result in a high level of involvement while purchasing a product or service. In addition to a high level of involvement, being ethical or sustainable are important and relevant aspects in the fashion industry. Each day, consumer awareness about sustainability is increasing, pressuring fashion companies [40,41]. Consumers concerned about environmental issues while purchasing products may be called sustainably minded consumers [42]. Research suggests that sustainably minded consumers show socially responsible behaviors, similar to environmentally friendly thinking, and believe their sustainable purchasing will help reduce pollution [43]. Concern about environmental issues is increasing because it provides short-term and long-term benefits and welfare to society. Young consumers in particular are demonstrating awareness of sustainability. This growing segment of consumers are more likely to continue buying sustainable products into their old age. However, consumers’ purchasing behaviors sometimes contradict their thinking [44]. Thus, the level of sustainability knowledge that consumers receive from current resources should be evaluated to better understand the current level of knowledge consumers have with respect to sustainability. Furthermore, it is important to determine which aspect of sustainability is crucial to consumers among the three aspects described in the TBL theory before addressing how the different aspects of sustainability may be balanced to determine which aspects consumers prioritize.

4. Materials and Methods

4.1. Research Design

A qualitative research design was used for this study. The participants were recruited via a cloud-based participant management software from Southwestern University’s large participant pool, including students from three colleges of the university, to recruit Generation Z. We posted the recruitment information on the system as well as the participant selection criteria, including age (participants born after 1997 and older than 18 years of age). Then, the qualified individuals contacted us to participate in the study. This age group was purposely selected because in the future, they are expected to be more involved in purchasing different clothing or fashion products in their daily lives Additionally, college students of these ages have more interest in fashion and sustainability than other generations [45,46]. Another reason for choosing this age range is that they represent a homogeneous sample, which would help establish a theory [47].

The entire study was subdivided into three different segments, including a semi-structured focus group discussion, showing a sustainable-knowledge-based video to provide a clear idea about sustainability and its importance, and website browsing. The objectives of showing the video and incorporating website browsing were to make the study more interactive and provide more knowledge about sustainability through these interactive activities since transformative learning embraces the adjustment of learning of an individual after they are subjected to new information which, in this study, was presented in the forms of video watching and website browsing.

The participants of each focus group discussed the semi-structured format of some questions. The focus group discussion was guided by a moderator. To ensure the active participation of the participants, the moderator encouraged non-active participants to become involved in the discussion by asking them some questions. Later, the conversation was recorded and kept only for data collection purposes. After data extraction, the recorded data were deleted as per IRB requirements. The questions and activity assignment of the semi-structured discussion were arranged in two different blocks (see Figure 1). Additionally, in this study, the participants were asked to discuss the sustainable activities of a few fashion brands, i.e., H&M and Patagonia. These brands are well-reputed fast fashion and outdoor brands, respectively. Another reason for choosing these two fashion brands is to see how these brands are practicing sustainability from the consumers’ points of view. All the participant discussions were 45 to 60 min long.

4.2. Data Analysis

Qualitative focus group data were systematically coded by the researchers to explore the themes [8]. The thematic analysis technique was used for data interpretation as it is one of the key methods for qualitative data analysis. This provides a clearer understanding of the participants’ perceptions of the sustainability of the apparel brands [48]. The entire transcribed scripts were reviewed and analyzed thoroughly, and codes were generated from the data. We generated the codes and themes using the iterative process. The research team repeated the process to identify the similarities and differences across the data. To generate the final themes from the discussion, multiple review processes took place before the themes were finalized. For participant validation, i.e., member checking, we verified our interpretations by seeking participant feedback. In addition, the research team documented our reflections and discussed them as part of the research process, providing transparency and insight to improve the rigor and validity of the study. The participants ranged from 18 to 25 years of age; most were Caucasian and female (see

Table 1. Demographic information of the focus group participants.

Focus Group 1				Focus Group 2
Pseudonym	Age	Gender	Ethnicity	Pseudonym	Age	Gender	Ethnicity
Diane	21	Female	Caucasian	Emma	21	Female	Caucasian
Helen	19	Female	Caucasian	Emily	20	Female	Hispanic/Latino
Gabby	20	Female	Caucasian	Johnny	19	Male	Caucasian
Isabel	20	Female	Caucasian
Cole	22	Male	Asian
Ellie	20	Female	Caucasian
Jayme	24	Female	African American
Christina	21	Female	Hispanic/Latino
Lily	21	Female	African American
Faith	21	Female	Caucasian
Focus Group 3				Focus Group 4
Pseudonym	Age	Gender	Ethnicity	Pseudonym	Age	Gender	Ethnicity
Sarah	21	Female	Caucasian	Arya	20	Female	African American
Maya	20	Female	African American	James	19	Male	African American
Ruby	18	Female	Caucasian	Lisa	21	Female	Caucasian
Nova	20	Female	Caucasian

). Each focus group had at least three participants, and four focus group interviews were conducted. Before starting the focus group discussion, the participants were asked to answer a short survey to provide their basic demographic information. Pseudonyms were provided randomly for confidentiality.

5. Results

Of the 20 participants, most were Caucasian, followed by African American, Hispanic, and Asian. Based on the thematic analysis, five key themes emerged. The five themes are Short-Sighted Action, Story Sharing with Others, Filling the Information Gap, Normalizing Customer Activism, and Challenging but Not Impossible. The themes in this study resemble some phases mentioned in the transformative learning theory. Furthermore, the above-mentioned phases that emerged in this study show that an adult frame of reference about transformative learning also begins with a disorienting dilemma, followed by self-examination and recognition, exploring options, planning an action, knowledge acquisition, and the reintegration of knowledge (see

Table 2. Themes and phases of transformative learning.

Transformative Learning Phases	Emerged Themes
A disorienting dilemma	Short-sighted action
Self-examination with feelings of guilt or shame	Filling the information gap
Recognition	Story sharing with others
Exploration of options	Normalizing customer activism
Planning an action	Challenging but not impossible
Knowledge acquisition
Reintegration of knowledge

). However, according to the phases mentioned in the transformative learning theory, some phases, including critical assessment, trying new roles, and building competence, were not observed in the participants’ transformative learning processes.

5.1. Short-Sighted Actions

During the focus group discussion, most of the participants talked about reusing, recycling, and donating clothes as actions that they could take. The theme Short-Sighted Actions explains the barriers and geographical challenges faced by consumers. The participants identified probable reasons, such as poor product quality and durability, as barriers to consumers acting sustainably. Participants pointed out that not all small and large cities have enough stores or outlets for sustainability-practicing brands. As a result, even consumers who want to start practicing sustainable behaviors cannot start immediately. The participants mentioned that their actions are limited because (1) very few stores are available to shop from that practice sustainability, and (2) they do not know whether a company is sustainable. For instance,

Ellie: I didn’t know that H&M was sustainable. I thought because it was fast fashion. So, I just thought it was like Forever 21, but they are more involved in human rights… so they are more aware, but I don’t know if this is something they recently implemented or they’ve had for a while, but even if it’s recently implemented, I feel like it’s a good step.

Currently, the products consumers purchase are fast fashion products. However, the participants expected to keep their clothes for a long time, even if they purchased fast fashion products. Thus, fashion brands offering good-quality products could be an alternative way for consumers to use fast fashion products for slightly longer. Jamie pointed out:

Jayme: Just if we are still going to shop at fast fashion, we must try taking care of the products. Because I know if I like to need something for one specific day and I go to forever 21 and just wear it once, I probably throw it away or get rid of it really soon. Cause if it was just like a one-time thing, but I’m just being more mindful about taking care of our clothes or recycling.

Participants also pointed out that the actions taken by Patagonia are an example the sustainability practices in their business, which is also an exception within a very large industrial population. Isabel explained:

Isabel: They (Patagonia) have information about environmental and social responsibility. They kind of talk about like, um, their environmental impact, their footprints, um, they focus a lot on that.

Participants identified that even if they want to practice sustainability in clothing consumption, there are not many options they can use. This phenomenon is described in transformative learning theory as a disorienting dilemma. According to the phase of transformative learning, a consumer understands that their action has an impact; however, they cannot choose alternative options that could bring better results.

5.2. Filling the Information Gap

A large gap exists between companies’ sustainable activities and what consumers know about these activities. Most participants felt that companies need to make more effort to educate consumers about their sustainable products or related efforts. Apart from the environmental aspect, the participants were unaware that sustainability has two more aspects (i.e., economic and social). Even the companies that have initiated some sustainable activities need to inform consumers more effectively. After browsing the websites, some participants said that finding sustainable products takes a lot of work. Gabby said:

Gabby: I would say, like putting information about sustainability from a website where everybody can see it because most people (retailers) will not focus on the website. Like most people (consumers) usually just go to a website to look at their product, not go into their mission statement or their values when it comes to the company, and I feel that putting it where the consumer is going to see it then the consumer will have a better understanding about what it is and what they can do moving forward from that.

It is also interesting that the way companies inform consumers suffers from a large gap, even though only a few companies have started showing information about sustainability on their product pages. For companies practicing sustainable activities, it is imperative to inform the consumers not only for their profit enhancement but also to share what sustainability is and whether the products consumers buy are sustainable. In addition, advertisements and celebrity endorsements could effectively improve people’s perceptions of sustainability.

Some participants mentioned other ways that fashion companies could inform their consumers, including via email and by providing a few infographics that describe the entire scope of a company’s sustainability activities instead of describing them with several words. Companies can also incorporate well-designed logos or tags to present their sustainable practices. In the case of online shop**, placing the sustainability information in noticeable areas where online shoppers can see it easily is key. Nova explained:

Nova: The company can do something like changing the color of the background, highlighting some information on the website that can easily be noticeable to the consumers… or something like pop-up kind of information on the website… or like on the price tag, I think that’s a really good way because everybody looks, I mean not everybody looks to the price tag… how it looks or what it says or the content…

Another essential point that the participants discussed is the potential for the successful adoption of sustainability by small local companies. If these small companies can adopt sustainability in their businesses, it will cause a large transmission of sustainability to their communities. However, in this case, the small companies will need support from the larger companies that the participants emphasized. Arya said:

Arya: I also think it’s good to support local businesses cause, um, H and M and Patagonia, they have a lot of money, you know, and they can potentially drive out the small businesses, you know, out of business.

Therefore, the participants mentioned that the administrative leaders of diverse organizations could come forward and begin working with small companies, inspiring the companies to be sustainable in the way that the large companies are and supporting the small companies. James said:

James: … CEO or CFO or other heads or managers can come out and say like, Hey, we’re pushing, uh, sustainability. And then maybe have a budget for that, like a sustainability campaign. And then, when other companies see that they’re successful at doing that, they will be more customers from that, and again if they start doing the same as a big company… it is just a domino effect.

The participants recognized the problem of insufficient information from all the sources. Therefore, they explored whether disseminating the correct information to all stakeholders would influence the sharing of messages in society. Here, two phases (i.e., recognition and exploring options) of transformative learning were observed in the participants. The participants said that filling the information gap by disseminating the right information about sustainability is important for using all available resources.

5.3. Story Sharing with Others

The theme of Story Sharing with Others emerged after showing the video and educating the participants about the three aspects of sustainability. This theme emerged due to the participants’ concerns about sharing the story with friends or family, learning from early in college or before college, and feeling responsible for society. Watching the video raised more concerns in the participants about the social aspect of sustainability, whereas all participants were more concerned about the environmental aspect before watching the video. The participants felt responsible when they understood that sustainability concerns the environment, society, and the economy. The current situations of people in the fashion industry and society became more important to the participants and created empathy in the participants for society and for the people involved in this labor-intensive industry.

Ellie: I think that in the past, I might have read it, but I feel like we focused a lot on the environmental aspects of sustainability essentially in classes or retailers themselves as they focus on the environment, and they don’t focus as much as on the people that may be under the sign.

The participants discussed their responsibilities to spread sustainability education to their families and friends in a manner similar to a chain system in which spreading the concept of sustainability would create more social awareness and increase sustainable buying habits, which can also directly force retailers to produce sustainable products. Faith said:

Faith: I think as a consumer, it’s our responsibility to educate as well. Like, my mom doesn’t know what’s going on because she’s not taking these classes. We are being introduced to these topics, so, it’s like my responsibility to let her know what’s going on, and this is what’s happening.

This theme also shows that action from everyone who knows about sustainability is necessary to inform others about sustainability. In particular, the participants mentioned that students who are currently studying at college could share the knowledge obtained from their educational setting with their friends and family. Based on the participants’ realizations, this theme is similar to the phase of planning a course of action described in the transformative learning theory.

5.4. Normalizing Customer Activism

Although the participants had different opinions about different issues, most were interested in saving the planet, which was their common perception of sustainability. On the other hand, according to the participants’ concerns, changing some tendencies of the consumers, such as using clothes for a short time and engaging in frequent purchasing behaviors, is important for people in a society; otherwise, these behaviors will create a significant amount of waste and burden the environment. This behavior of purchasing and thinking about society’s environment should be continued. Therefore, the Normalizing Customer Activism theme emerged from their perceived knowledge about the sustainable activities of different brands and how they can be disseminated and normalized among people in society. During the discussion, no one disagreed with the necessity of as much action from the consumers as possible without buying cheap and frequently replaced trendy products. They also emphasized making this action a social norm. James mentioned:

James: A lot of things related to sustainability have been going on over the past few years… I would not even like this. It should be an everyday thing… so kind of normalize it.

Another participant noted that donating clothes could be another way to reduce waste; in the meantime, donating and selling clothes will provide consumers with discount opportunities or the return of some money. Faith described:

Faith: I usually keep my staff for as long as it lasts until it like rips or wears out, and if I don’t like something… I’ll usually take it to Plato’s closet and like sell it and get money back.

Another interesting point is that even if someone has many clothes, a fashionable way to reuse them could be wearing them after a certain interval instead of throwing them out. Faith again mentioned:

Faith: Um, I usually like to recycle my clothes, so if I get bored or something, I put it in the back of my closet, and then I’ll get back to it like two months later. Like, Oh, it’s brand new again.

The participants discussed several actions (i.e., recycling, reusing, donating, etc.) that consumers can practice daily and accept as societal norms.

5.5. Challenging but Not Impossible

The participants in the focus group seriously discussed the pros and cons of companies and consumers being sustainable. Even many industries and people do not know about the different aspects of sustainability or what sustainability means. Therefore, the theme of Challenging But Not Impossible emerged because the behaviors or practices of the companies cannot change drastically. Nova pointed out:

Nova: I feel like many people don’t know what it might mean; they don’t exactly know, like, get to a full extent or like how it can relate to…

Likewise, from the industry perspective, it is also understandable that such a large industry cannot change its policies overnight. Incremental change can initiate the journey toward sustainability.

Faith: I guess my expectation is for them to start implementing that sustainability… to continue and to keep going. And I feel because they are doing this, then I think other people or other companies would be able to pick up on this and also start implementing little by little, um, more sustainability.

On the other hand, consumers also need to be aware of sustainability. After being informed through education or companies’ initiatives, the consumers should keep practicing this mindset.

Kylie: I think being aware of what you’re buying and what it goes through and just knowing about the product. A lot of us just think about the price and that is it… I think we could do a better job of that and also like learning more about the companies … just general awareness about everything.

The participants also explained that buying cheap clothing is not cheap. If people are a part of society, they realize that sustainability is the only solution to keep this world livable for future generations, which will not happen drastically. Emily explains:

Emily: I think the more awareness, the more knowledge that’s put out there, people slowly realize that, umm, they’re buying the cheap product that’s very overpriced, and it’s something that’s hurting our environment and our daily lives.

6. Discussion

The findings of this research provide an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of sustainability held by consumers with respect to outdoor and fashion apparel brands. The focus group discussion data analysis brings in five key themes, including Short-Sighted Actions, Disseminating the story, Filling the Information Gap, Normalizing Customer Activism, and Challenging But Not Impossible. Interestingly, it was revealed that the participants’ awareness of sustainability was limited to environmental issues until the researchers provided the triple-bottom-line sustainability information, similar to previous findings [29]. The participants’ perceptions shifted from the environment to society after exposure to the relevant educational information. The participants also pointed out that the economic aspect of sustainability should be addressed by the company. As a consequence, all three aspects of sustainability became equally important to the participants. Moreover, according to the participants, fashion companies should consider the well-being of the people involved in their value chains. Meanwhile, they should continue reducing their pollution and preserving resources for future generations, as was found in the previous research [42]. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without balancing these three aspects in the fashion industry. This resembles and represents the theory of TBL as well.

A change in the participants’ frames of frame regarding sustainability was observed during the focus group discussion and while watching videos and browsing the website. In this study, a few educational activities helped the participants relate to their experiences and recall them from their classroom learning. For example, the directions of the participants’ discussions demonstrate that they are assessing their consumption behavior and recognizing and exploring ways to convert their actions into more sustainable actions. These phases resemble Mezirow’s proposed transformation phases [17]. Moreover, their tendencies to act responsibly, which were expressed during the discussion, support the transformative learning theory. Although the participants have observed few barriers to practicing sustainable activities, their concerns and enthusiasm were reflected after the point was raised that they are not exempt from this long fashion value chain. The continuous transformation of their learning will make it a norm for society. Apart from that, all the participants belonged to Generation Z, which comprises approximately 56 million people and a large portion of the market; thus, transforming learning into action is a very effective means of achieving a balancing between the three aspects of sustainability [49].

7. Academic and Managerial Implications

7.1. Academic Implications

Our findings suggest that turning a sustainable, product-based business into a non-sustainable business is not an overnight process. However, providing some knowledge of sustainable behavior to people in different stages of education can speed up the process of producing and purchasing sustainable goods. Moreover, many universities currently have sustainability centers that can implement sustainability knowledge regardless of their departments and publish reports on the effectiveness of their adopted approaches on an annual basis. This not only helps universities to disseminate sustainability knowledge but also can create transparency in data regarding the sustainability status of an organization. As suggested in the transformative learning theory, introducing an assumption, experience, or a belief-based reference frame for any subject can effectively transform learning. Although adults can recognize the discrepancies based on their beliefs and assumptions, our study shows that engagement with the subjects and environment can be more useful in transforming their cognitive knowledge. The transformative learning theory addressed in this article can be applied to help understand the sustainability attitudes of different gender and age groups. On top of that, this theory can be useful in evaluating the perceived importance of sustainability in different cultures. In addition, by using the transformative learning theory, explaining for which aspect of sustainability more attention is drawn to the consumer is possible.

7.2. Managerial Implications

Regarding the managerial implications, as members of Generation Z show responsible behaviors in their consumption, promoting the sustainable activities of fashion companies through advertisement could increase the reputation and attraction of these companies. In addition, marketers can create websites on which information can easily draw the attention of fashion shoppers. Finding a hotspot for brand showrooms or outlets where the maximum number of consumers can participate and act according to the ways they think about sustainability is another important task for business companies. On the other hand, large companies such as H&M and Patagonia have a responsibility to support and inspire small companies in adopting sustainable practices by increasing the awareness of sustainability. By doing so, small companies can establish connections with larger corporations, facilitating dialogue and knowledge exchange regarding sustainability. In addition to reusing, recycling, and donating old clothes, there is another challenging task for managers to establish new uses for old clothes, such as implementing circular production processes (purchasing and selling used clothes within the same company, as a result of which a company will have brand-loyal consumers and is responsible for practicing all aspects of sustainability), which can inspire the customer to be more loyal to the company. Furthermore, large fashion companies can provide research support grants to universities with sustainability centers. This could positively impact the continuation of sustainability practices for effective outcomes for both consumers and companies in the future.

8. Limitations and Future Research Directions

Most participants were college students and did not know much about sustainability. Therefore, future research could be conducted on students from various majors with prior knowledge about sustainability. Moreover, the participants in this study were predominantly Caucasian and female. Future research can be carried out on participants comprising wider range of age groups, with numbers of male and female participants and more diverse ethnic groups. In addition, as this research was a qualitative study, the sample size was small, and the results were not generalizable. Thus, further research on sustainability perception with a larger sample based on socioeconomic background and educational level, using a quantitative approach, is needed. Future research is needed to explore the impacts of different educational interventions, such as promoting online education using social media and consumer education programs on climate protection for fashion design, on Z consumers’ understanding and attitudes toward sustainable fashion, possibly leading them to engage in sustainable consumption patterns. In addition, opinions or ideas from one participant could be biased or influenced by the other participants. Therefore, the moderator should actively inspire the participants to share their own thoughts without being influenced by others.

9. Conclusions

This study explored the current sustainability perceptions of Generation Z participants. Later, we introduced new knowledge to see and verify if there was a change in the reference frames of the participants, as described in the transformative learning theory. Our findings show that providing interactive knowledge, such as website browsing and seeing relevant videos, can positively affect participants learning about sustainability. We found that participants were more serious about accepting the social aspect of sustainability, which was less important to the participants before they were provided with interactive knowledge. Our findings can help fashion companies and academic institutions redesign marketing strategies and adopt more social-aspect-based knowledge in the current curriculum, respectively.