Chinese Students’ Knowledge of Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Apparel and Sustainable Purchase Intentions

Abstract

Although many studies have focused on the relationship between consumers' purchase intentions and their knowledge and attitudes of socially and environmentally responsible issues pertaining to the apparel and textiles (AT) industry, few studies have focused on consumers outside the US and UK. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to better understand the sustainability knowledge, attitudes, and purchasing intentions of Chinese consumers. A paper questionnaire consisting of approximately 80 questions and five scales was given to 52 Chinese undergraduate students enrolled in a course at a university located in the Zhejiang province of China during the summer of 2015. As a result of the data analysis, the Chinese students were much more informed of environmental issues within the AT industry as compared to issues of social responsibility, yet also reported strong attitudes regarding the treatment and safety of workers in AT production and how these issues might influence their purchasing intentions.

Social media and Chinese consumers’ environmentally sustainable apparel purchase intentions

“…Globally, apparel companies increasingly recognize the demand from consumers to be more environmentally friendly and socially responsible by changing traditional business practices and even implementing corporate social responsibility practices (Rahman et al, 2017;Song, 2017). In order to connect and provide better insights regarding ESA, many global brands are actively communicating ESA product development strategies and transparent information regarding business practices to consumers (Reiter and Kozar, 2016). This has resulted in more studies looking to investigate green consumption in China (Chan, 2001;Diamantopoulos et al, 2003).…”

“…As global apparel companies strive to implement strategies to be more environmentally friendly and socially responsible, many fashion brands have begun to actively communicate information regarding the product development procedures of environmentally sustainable apparel (ESA), and the specific ways they reduce the use of harmful chemicals in apparel production (Reiter and Kozar, 2016;Song, 2017). China is the largest consumer market for the apparel industry with a population of 1.4bn and rapid economic growth.…”

“…Clothing expenditures are projected to reach $2.2 trillion by 2020 (Thompson, 2014). Currently, there is no organized means to educate consumers on sustainability efforts in the Chinese apparel industry (Reiter and Kozar, 2016). Consumption patterns among Chinese consumers have been shown to be based solely on fulfilling self-interest and concerns and not because of outside social or environmental issues (Rapp, 2016).…”

The Use of Social Media to Promote Sustainable Fashion and Benefit Communications: A Data-Mining Approach

“…Driven by an interest in sustainability, numerous fashion brands actively utilize social media as a medium to communicate sustainability information and/or develop a conscientious brand image [3]. One example is Everlane, which closely monitors and listens to customer feedback on business decisions like product launches, packaging design, and sustainability activities through their social media accounts [15].…”

“…Social media platforms allow for interactive experiences between brands and consumers, which makes social media one of the best ways to interest consumers in specific trends [2]. As consumers are now paying more attention to environmental and social concerns, many fashion brands, such as Patagonia, Everlane, Reformation, Stella McCartney, Veja, Tretorn, and Allbirds, actively communicate information regarding their environmentally sustainable and fair-trade products [3]. Therefore, fashion brands exploit social media by posting images and textual information that promote sustainability events and campaigns while demonstrating the beauty of the natural wild aligned with their products [4].…”