The colonization of sustainability: A discourse analysis of natura cosmÉticos'advertisements

Abstract

The concept of sustainability has come prominent in the corporate environment in recent years, which does not necessarily mean companies are assuming all its ground rules. The discourse of sustainability being co-opted by capitalism becomes a marketing tool. The cooptation of alternative thoughts by capitalism, such as sustainability, is maintained by coloniality, through hegemonic discourses that reproduce and reinforce institutional, political, economic, cultural, and power structures. In this context, this paper aims to analyze the discourse of sustainability in Natura Cosméticos’ advertisements through the four dimensions of coloniality. The analyses show that the advertisements aim to highlight characteristics and values in order to persuade the consumer to buy and use Natura products. There is the silencing of aspects such as the exploration of nature, the mercantilization of natural resources, the environmental impacts of extractivism, and the demands of beauty standards, which may be related to the four dimensions of coloniality.