Promoting Sustainable Cotton Using Social Media Analytics Through Project-Based Learning

Abstract Efforts to promote sustainable cotton have been underway for years. Experts are diligently working to reduce the environmental impact of cotton production and to educate the public about innovations in cotton growing and manufacturing innovations. The Cotton Ranking 2023 highlights significant progress among major brands in adopting sustainable cotton practices. However, there is a growing gap between customers'' increasing awareness of fashion sustainability and the complex and mixed marketing information on social media. Greenwashing issues are prevalent throughout the entire fashion marketing sphere, and the cotton industry is no exception. Currently, there are limited educational resources available for students to gain knowledge about cotton sustainability, and even fewer opportunities for them to apply this knowledge. This is particularly challenging due to the difficulties and inconsistencies surrounding sustainability communication on social media, making it hard for students to differentiate between accurate and misleading information about sustainable cotton. The proposed project aims to provide students with an opportunity to understand cotton sustainability deeply and apply this knowledge to promote sustainable cotton through social media analytics. Students will be able to 1) gain knowledge about the fashion sustainability with an emphasis on sustainable cotton; 2) identify prevalent topics, uncover gaps, and misleading information related to sustainable cotton in current social media content through social media analytics; 3) utilize the knowledge to convey accurate information to customers and promote sustainable cotton. The expected learning outcomes of the project will be measured by using midterm teaching feedback, pre and post surveys and students’ projects. 60 – 80 students across two courses will receive direct benefits from the cotton-enhanced curriculum.