Consumer clothing disposal behaviour: a comparative study

Abstract

Fast fashion retailing is leading consumers towards an increased rate of purchasing and the trend to keep clothing for an ever shorter time with the resulting rise in clothing disposal. The aim of this paper is to empirically explore antecedents of two methods of sustainable clothing disposal behaviour in two countries: donating to charities and giving away to family and friends. Using data from females located in Australia and Chile, the authors test the proposed model with structural equation modelling (SEM). The results of this study show that consumer recycling behaviour is a strong and direct driver of donating to charity. In addition, results find that consumer awareness of the environment and consumer age affect donating behaviour. The findings have value for fast fashion retailers, marketers, environmental activists, ecological researchers, charity institutions and public policy makers.

Investigation into the removal of an easy-care crosslinking agent from cotton and the subsequent regeneration of lyocell-type fibres

“…Nowadays, a garment lifecycle is more dependent on the durability of the garment's fashion than the physical performance of the garment (DEFRA 2006;Bianchi and Birtwistle 2012;Birtwistle and Moore 2007;Bromley and Dunstan 1978;Haggblade 1990). The main avenue for disposal of the waste garments is by reuse as secondhand clothing in developing countries (Baden and Barber 2005;DEFRA 2006DEFRA , 2009Hawley 2006a, b;Haggblade 1990).…”

Sustainable Rent-Based Closed-Loop Supply Chain for Fashion Products

“…During 1995, the denim industry generated more than 70 million kilos of scrap in landfills in the USA; unrecovered textile waste contributed to approximately 4.5% of U.S. landfills; in the U.K., there are annually more than 100 million tons of waste resulting from households and commerce [1]. Fast fashion retailing is leading consumers towards an increased rate of purchasing and the trend to keep clothing for an ever shorter time, which results in a cost in clothing disposal.…”

“…Fast fashion retailing is leading consumers towards an increased rate of purchasing and the trend to keep clothing for an ever shorter time, which results in a cost in clothing disposal. Bianchi and Birtwistle [1] empirically explored two methods of sustainable clothing disposal behavior: donating to charities and giving away to family and friends. The results show that consumer recycling behavior is a strong and direct driver to donate to charity.…”

“…In the regular supply chain, the used fashion products may be disposed by donation, resale and discarding. As studied by Joung and Park-Poaps [31] and Bianchi and Birtwistle [1], the diverse consumer behaviors play important roles in the disposal. In developing countries, when the donation bins and charity shops are not well set, the convenience concerns may result in the disposal behavior.…”

“…The springing up of textile and clothing industries brings rapid development to clothing products, which inevitably causes serious pollution. The used clothing may be resold, reused and donated, and most of it is finally discarded [1]. Textiles in municipal solid waste are found mainly in the form of discarded clothing, although other sources include furniture, carpets, tires, footwear and nondurable goods, such as sheets and towels.…”