Responsible consumption as a new paradigm in modern society`s culture

Abstract

The 2015 Sustainable Development Goals have had a significant impact on fashion brands, most of which have begun to actively integrate the concept of responsible consumption into their business strategies. There are basic principles of responsible consumption, including sustainability, ethics, sociality and economy. They are increasingly affecting communication and marketing initiatives, responding to the cultural values of new consumers. The concept comes into open confrontation with a theory of mass consumption and mass culture and forms a new culture of modern society. Slow fashion is actively developing in terms of responsible production and consumption, which generates preconditions for major changes in the fashion industry. To identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the implementing of the concept of responsible consumption, paper addresses leading players in the fashion industry, whose activities generally comply with basic principles of responsible consumption. An empirical study of the application of this concept using a SWOT analysis led to the conclusion that strengths outweigh weaknesses, while opportunities and threats are practically balanced. The results of empirical research have shown that the concept of responsible consumption and production is becoming a part of the culture of modern society, corresponding to value orientations of an active part of the population. Sustainable development forms a new paradigm of the culture of modern society — now that the consumer behavior of members of the post-industrial society is changing, the era of mass consumption is replaced by the era of responsible consumption and production.