08 October 2026
Two master's students participated in the Youth and Climate Action Symposium under the supervision of Res. Asst. Dr. A. Bengisu Cansever Bayhan
Res. Asst. Dr. Ayten Bengisu Cansever Bayhan from the Department of Visual Communication Design (VCD) at Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU) Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA) participated in the STA Youth and Climate Action Symposium held within the scope of COP31 together with her graduate students, contributing to academic studies centered on climate communication and sustainability. During the symposium, the impacts of the global climate crisis on visual communication and brand narratives, as well as the "greenwashing" strategies of brands, were addressed from an academic perspective.
Examination of green technology myth and brand communication
The first paper presented at the symposium was titled “The Myth of Green Technology: A Semiotic Analysis of Sustainability Discourse in Apple's Brand Communication", co-authored by Res. Asst. Dr. Ayten Bengisu Cansever Bayhan and master's student Enes Dalgıç.
The study examined how technology giants construct their environmental responsibility discourses as digital technologies become an indispensable part of daily life. Employing Roland Barthes’ semiotic analysis framework, the research critically analyzed Apple’s “2030 Status | Mother Nature” film alongside Apple Watch Series 9 carbon neutrality communication materials. Through denotative, connotative, and mythological level analyses, the paper opened up discussions on how the brand represents the tension between technological consumption and environmental responsibility, the relationship between concrete claims and visual environmental indicators, and the process of generating a "green technology myth".
Environmental semiotics and greenwashing critique
Another study presented at the symposium was the paper titled “The Brand Painted Green: Environmental Semiotic Analysis in the Cases of H&M, Adidas × Parley and WWF Earth Hour”, co-authored by Res. Asst. Dr. Ayten Bengisu Cansever Bayhan and master's student Melek Gülşen.
Focusing on environmental semiotic analysis, this study comparatively examined H&M Conscious Exclusive from the fast-fashion sector, the Adidas × Parley partnership in sportswear, and the non-profit global campaign WWF Earth Hour. Combining Roland Barthes’ semiotic framework with TerraChoice’s “Seven Sins of Greenwashing” typology, the study evaluated the gap between the actual environmental contributions of organizations and the "green" image they construct through visual communication. The research aims to contribute to strengthening young consumers' visual climate communication literacy and discussing the ethical boundaries of sustainability-oriented communication.
As the Faculty of Fine Arts at Istanbul Gelişim University, we congratulate our academician and master's students who support environmental awareness and sustainability through rigorous academic research, and wish them continued success.