Knowledge sharing among green fashion communities online

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the knowledge content on green fashion and the expectations regarding the sustainable supply chain held by consumers and shared within online communities. In sustainable and eco‐sectors, the supply chain is of outmost concern for consumers, as most benefits derived from the eco‐purchase are linked to the green and ethical credentials of the supply chain.Design/methodology/approach – A netnographic approach is used. Discussions on green fashion were collected in two green fashion forums over two periods (2007‐2008 and 2010‐2011) and were content analyzed.Findings – Results show a switch in knowledge content between the two periods, from a focus on sustainability to a focus on fashion. Also, there is an evolution in the nature of knowledge content, being initially subjective and becoming more objective and showing expertise during the last period studied. As the communities gain maturity, members are interested in sharing precise knowledge on a variety o...

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