Within the fashion industry, sustainability has been a growing theme for years. But despite the focus on it, consumer behaviour does not yet reflect this. Dr Mariangela Lavanga of ESHCC is one of the co-authors of the academic paper "Drivers and barriers for sustainable fashion consumption in Spain: a comparison between sustainable and non-sustainable consumers" in the International Journal of Fashion, Technology and Education. Together with dr. Silvia Blas Riesgo (visiting PhD candidate at ESHCC in 2020, currently Postdoc researcher at University of Zurich) and dr. Mónica Codina (Associate Professor of Ethics and Deontology of Communication at the University of Navarra), they identify and characterise the understudied group of sustainable fashion consumers in Spain.
In their paper, the authors compare sustainable and non-sustainable consumers in Spain, examine the factors that encourage or hinder sustainable fashion and contribute to the knowledge about the gap between attitudes and behaviour of fashion consumers. The authors also wrote a blog about their research for "Economists Talk Art" blog series, which is published on the Association for Cultural Economics International (ACEI) website.
Lack of trust
The study, based on 1,063 survey respondents and 23 focus group participants, used the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The research reveals that sustainable fashion represents a small segment (8.65%) of the Spanish fashion market. A lack of trust in fashion companies and their sustainability claims is the main reason consumers hesitate to buy sustainable products, followed by concerns about higher prices. Interestingly, those more conscious of sustainability tend to buy fewer new items, opting for second-hand or rental alternatives. Sustainable consumers tend to be more fashion-conscious, environmentally aware, and influenced by moral values rather than societal pressure. While a market for sustainable fashion exists, it suggests a lack of a strong 'sustainable culture' in Spain.
An opportunity for businesses and governments
The study acknowledges limitations, such as a skewed sample toward women and younger participants and suggests future research to explore cultural influences on sustainable fashion consumption in other countries. The authors also suggest using agenda-setting and framing theories to study the presence and framing of sustainable fashion content in (social) media to understand the perceived lack of a sustainability culture in Spain. Businesses should also take tangible steps to enhance transparency and trust, addressing concerns about greenwashing. This creates an opportunity for both businesses and governments to encourage consumers to make more sustainable fashion choices.
Read the article in the International Journal of Fashion, Technology and Education
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