What sounds like routine to most faculty members has become true for Katrin Drewes, a former WU Marketing Master student, who is now a co-author with Elfriede Penz. The article “What Shapes Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Intention for Sustainable Fashion Consumption during a Stressful Time Event?” was published in November this year as open access article in Sustainability and has been viewed already about 500 times.

“Already during working on her master thesis in 2021, I have noticed Katrin Drewes’ high interest in the topic and her personal dedication”, remembers Elfriede Penz.

Asking Katrin Drewes about her motivation, she says that “I was really motivated to write my master thesis on sustainability as it is a topic of ever-increasing relevance. Paired with my interest in fashion and own experiences during the pandemic, the factor of social influence in this context caught my attention.” She also has a valuable recommendation for master students: “When considering your topic, think about something that you are truly passionate about. The thesis requires a considerable time investment that moves much faster when there is an intrinsic motivation to find out more about the topic.”

So, how did it proceed from there? “When the master thesis was in its final stages, I suggested her that we take parts of her research to a new level and try to publish it in a journal - and Katrin agreed!” Elfriede Penz recalls.

There were some methodological alterations, massive cuts and some new bits and parts and eventually, with the usual back and forth of writing a paper, the article was submitted. Despite her full job, Katrin Drewes helped in revising the manuscript and eventually, the two convinced the reviewers and the editor.

Essentially, the research found out that perceived self-efficacy regarding a stressful time event (i.e., COVID-19) increased pro-environmental attitudes and, in turn, sustainable fashion consumption intention. In other words, turning to sustainable fashion may be a suitable way for consumers to cope with stress and at the same time protect the environment.

“Instinctively, I was surprised to find that perceived helplessness due to COVID-19 did not have a bigger influence on sustainable fashion consumption intention as I thought it would function to find meaning. Nevertheless, I found all the results very insightful as they gave me a perspective outside of my own social environment.”, Katrin Drewes admits.

Penz, E., & Drewes, K. L. (2022). What Shapes Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Intention for Sustainable Fashion Consumption during a Stressful Time Event? Sustainability, 14(22), 15331; http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su142215331.

Click to read the full article here.

Photo: Elfriede Penz (left, © Michèle Pauty) and Katrin Drewes (right)