Framing the limits to growth: Narratives in the sustainable fashion industry

• The roles of businesses have received little attention in the post-growth context • We explore how sustainability-oriented SMEs in the fashion industry frame growth • We reveal two distinct narratives: “Grow when it's good” & “Less (growth) is more ” • The narratives may play complementary roles in fostering a post-growth transition • We start a conversation between alterity and sustainability transitions research While there is growing research about the roles of organisations in the transition to a post-growth society, activities in the market economy and the roles of businesses have received little attention so far. In this study, we address this gap by exploring the extent to which post-growth aspects have been considered by sustainability-oriented SMEs in the German speaking fashion industry. By drawing on the concepts of alterity and socio-technical niches, we analyse the framing strategies the companies use to position their alternative approaches in the context of the growth debate. We identify two narratives that show different degrees of oppositionality towards the established “mainstream” practices of the fashion industry: the “grow when it's good” narrative and the “less (growth) is more” narrative. Despite their antagonistic perspectives towards the relationship between sustainability and growth, these narratives can play complementary roles in a post-growth transition. At the same time, they represent the opposite ends of a continuum rather than distinct categories, which underlines the multidimensional nature of businesses’ perceptions of growth.