Environmental Concern and Apparel Consumption

Abstract

Many consumers are making consumption decisions that reflect their desire to protect the environment. Consequently, many companies have embraced the "green marketing" concept to capture the environmentally conscious market. This study explores several constructs related to apparel consumption and environmentalism: knowledge of environmental issues pertaining to apparel products, concern for or attitude toward the environment, and behavior stemming from environmental concerns. We developed a model to examine how knowledge of environmental issues with respect to apparel products relates to concern for the environment as well as subsequent behaviors toward the environment. Results indicated that respondents' knowledge of the environmental effects of apparel products had a limited relationship to general concern for the environment. Also, environmental concern did not clearly relate to environmentally responsible apparel consumption, while a construct assessing general environmentally responsible behavior more strongly related to environmentally responsible apparel consumption behavior. Findings from this study provide insight into consumers' apparel consumption practices related to the environment and the importance of knowledge in generating environmental consciousness toward apparel consumption. Measurement issues are also addressed.

Individual values and motivational complexities in ethical clothing consumption: A means-end approach

“…This supports Kim and Damhorst's (1998) claim that selfexpression and group conformity must not be neglected in explaining ethical clothing consumption. The importance of accounting for individual desires and needs in ethical and eco clothing is also reflected by consumers' drive for emotional well-being ('feel good').…”

“…Issues around understanding ethical clothing consumption have been attributed to the complex pursuit of multiple personal values that underlie consumers' choice criteria in clothing consumption (Butler & Francis 1997;Kim & Damhorst 1998) but these values themselves are not well understood (Niinimäki 2010). …”

Mapping sustainable textile initiatives

“…In general, such studies have identified a "knowledge-to-action" gap (Markkula and Moisander, 2012). It has been shown that neither environmental attitudes nor knowledge directly translate to sustainable clothing acquisition behavior (Brosdahl and Carpenter, 2010;Butler and Francis, 1997;Gam, 2011;Kim and Damhorst, 1998). The discrepancies between attitudes and behavior are mainly explained by the fact that shopping for clothes can be a complicated process where several criteria must be taken into account simultaneously, including price, fit, style, color, cultural, and social aspects, in addition to sustainability.…”

Sustainable textile initiatives and suggestions for a Nordic Roadmap

“…In general, such studies have identified a "knowledge-to-action" gap (Markkula and Moisander, 2012). It has been shown that neither environmental attitudes nor knowledge directly translate to sustainable clothing acquisition behavior (Brosdahl and Carpenter, 2010;Butler and Francis, 1997;Gam, 2011;Kim and Damhorst, 1998). The discrepancies between attitudes and behavior are mainly explained by the fact that shopping for clothes can be a complicated process where several criteria must be taken into account simultaneously, including price, fit, style, color, cultural, and social aspects, in addition to sustainability.…”