Survey: 1 in 3 Consumers Would Do All Their Shopping at a Sustainable Clothing Store, if One Existed

(Credit: Pixabay)

by | May 26, 2021

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(Credit: Pixabay)

Consumers in the United States want to make more environmentally-friendly choices when it comes to shopping for clothes, but a lack of availability and trustworthy information on what makes clothing more (or less) sustainable has made “sustainable fashion” elusive for many. A new survey in the US from Genomatica set out to understand consumers’ awareness, perspectives, and behaviors around sustainability in fashion, finding that 86% of consumers believe sustainability is a good goal, yet nearly half (48%) don’t know how or where to find sustainable clothes and 42% are confused about what makes clothing sustainable.

Consumers are aware of environmental issues in the fashion industry 

  • Nearly 3 in 4 (72%) consumers have heard of environmental sustainability issues in the fashion industry — listing excess consumption, carbon emissions and water pollution from dye processes as issues they’re aware of.
  • Half (51%) believe that Americans’ clothing purchases each year result in substantial greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The pandemic may have helped grow consumer awareness: 38% who are aware of sustainability issues in fashion have only become aware of them over the past year.

Consumers want to make better choices, but they’re confused about what makes clothing sustainable and how or where to find it 

  • Half (52%) of consumers believe sustainability is important and they consciously make choices to be more sustainable and 47% want to make more sustainable clothing choices, but they give into what’s more convenient.
  • 55% are interested in purchasing so-called “sustainable clothing,” but 48% don’t know how or where to find sustainable clothes and 42% are confused about what actually makes clothing sustainable.
  • Over a third (34%) say, “If there was a store for sustainable clothes, I’d do all my shopping there,” about the same number (33%) who say availability in chain clothing stores would make them want to purchase sustainable clothing. 31% would even support a “fast fashion tax” on clothing that’s unsustainable.

How clothing is made and what it’s made from are important considerations for consumers

  • 58% of consumers care about the materials that make their clothes and want them to not be harmful to the planet.
  • Nearly half (47%) rank clothing made with renewably-sourced or natural materials as a top sustainability characteristic, with around the same percent (46%) that list production processes with few to no toxic chemicals in their top three.
  • 53% of consumers believe the majority of clothes are made of primarily synthetic material, slightly more than the number of consumers (47%) who realize fossil fuels (crude oil, coal, etc.) are the main building blocks of synthetic clothing.

Other findings from the Genomatica study include:

Consumers are on the lookout for “greenwashing” in the fashion industry, but they still want brands to do the legwork to make sustainable choices easier 

  • Nearly 9 in 10 (88%) consumers don’t immediately trust brands that say they’re sustainable and half (51%) believe “greenwashing” is common in the fashion industry.
  • 55% want clothing brands to help them understand how their products are more sustainable than alternatives.
  • Half (50%) say that a sustainability label would help them identify sustainable clothes while shopping, and 38% say clearer information about sustainability features would make them want to purchase sustainable clothing.
  • 44% believe brands are to blame for not prioritizing or providing enough convenient sustainable alternatives.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed consumer purchasing behaviors around clothing

  • During the pandemic, 44% of consumers say they purchased less clothing compared to before the pandemic, with more women saying so (50%) than men (39%).
  • Nearly 1 in 3 (30%) who purchased more clothing since the start of the pandemic say they used shopping to help them deal with anxiety, depression and loneliness.
  • Half (49%) say the pandemic reduced the pressure they feel to wear a different outfit every day.

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