Practicing Sustainability: Illuminating ‘Use’ in Wearing Clothes

Gill, Alison; Lopes, Abby Mellick; Kaye-Smith, Holly

doi:10.5130/csr.v22i1.4914

Cited by 11 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…For clothing, sustainable clothing consumption is chiefly promoted via product longevity [28], which is influenced by aspects of design and production [29,30] as well as consumer practice [31]. The utilization of second-hand goods reduces the demand for new products and mitigates premature disposal [2,15].…”

Section: Ocr and The Environmental Gains Of Product Longevitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Online Clothing Resale: A Practice Theory Approach to Evaluate Sustainable Consumption Gains

Armstrong¹,

Park²

2020

J Sustain Res

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Collaborative consumption businesses such as online clothing resale (OCR) platforms seem poised to increase the utilization of clothing, prevent premature disposal, and decrease dependence on new clothing production, which are important environmental gains. OCR also embodies features of social media, providing at least the appearance of a community that cares about waste reduction or recycling. However, these platforms conjure skepticism about the capacity to meaningfully foster sustainable consumption, as they are positioned similarly to the fast fashion marketplace. This study took a practice theory approach to investigate the actual behavior of OCR users; young women who have utilized a variety of OCR platforms to buy and sell clothing. The objective of the study was to understand the extent to which the practice of OCR aligns with fundamental arguments that implicate it as a model for sustainable consumption: reduced production, disposal mitigation, and changed behavior via sociality. Interviews were conducted with 24 female participants. Practice theory guided data analysis, which included data reduction by sorting user experiences into routines and then categorizing each routine by materials, competences, and meanings associated with the practice. Then, themes characterizing the practice were identified. Findings revealed that OCR practice only loosely supports sustainable consumption. A culture that values secondhand clothing exchange is absent from the practice, and the capacity of OCR to meaningfully support product longevity is undermined by a lack of secondhand circularity and a desire among practitioners to acquire like new or barely worn goods at a price they could not ordinarily afford.

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Section: Ocr and The Environmental Gains Of Product Longevitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Online Clothing Resale: A Practice Theory Approach to Evaluate Sustainable Consumption Gains

Armstrong¹,

Park²

2020

J Sustain Res

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“…Also, the way in which consumers utilize energy, water, and chemicals to care for clothing can compromise product life‐span (Laitala et al, ). Gil et al () argue that fast fashion invalidates use practices by negating the importance of the temporal experience with clothing, where time is devoted to caring for clothing. Fletcher () submits that more attention should be paid to the habits of mind associated with clothing use practices because the psychosocial factors embodied in use practice affect clothing life‐span (Lopes & Gil, ).…”

Section: Scale Development Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As previously mentioned, natural resource use spikes in the consumer use phase (Global Fashion Agenda & The Boston Consulting Group, 2017;Laitala & Boks, 2012). Also, the way in which consumers utilize energy, water, and chemicals to care for clothing can compromise product life-span (Laitala et al, 2011). Gil et al (2016 argue that fast fashion invalidates use practices by negating the importance of the temporal experience with clothing, where time is devoted to caring for clothing.…”

Section: Predictive Validitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sustainable consumption is the use of products and services to satisfy needs and achieve quality of life in a way that curtails the use of natural resources and toxic substances across the product life cycle, thereby decreasing environmental consequences that might prevent future generations from meeting their own needs (Norwegian Ministry for the Environment, ). A cornerstone of sustainable consumption is product life‐span (Cooper, ; Fletcher, ), the length of which is influenced by design and production methods (Cooper, Hughes, & Claxton, ; Gil, Lopes, & Kaye‐Smith, ), sociocultural factors (Cooper et al, ), and consumer practice (Laitala & Boks, ; Laitala, Boks, & Klepp, ; Norum, ). A seeming tidal force works against the product longevity of clothing in the name of economy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Clothing style confidence: The development and validation of a multidimensional scale to explore product longevity

Armstrong

Kang

Lang

2018

J of Consumer Behaviour

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Personal style has been more frequently cited in the sustainable consumption discourse in recent years. The purpose of this research project is to conceptualize and operationalize clothing style confidence (CSC), defined as confidence about the individual way people express themselves with clothing and accessories. This study aims to advance a systematic understanding of the role of CSC in product longevity by developing a measurement scale through qualitative interviews, expert review, a survey to purify the scale, and a survey to validate a scale. The project began with 23 interviews among men and women who self‐identified as style confident, which aided in the development of 108 initial items. These items were reviewed by seven experts, resulting in the retention of 77 items. An online survey via a mass e‐mail facilitated through a large southwestern university's communication office yielded 141 responses for the purpose of scale purification, resulting in 26 items for the validation phase. An online survey was then conducted with a consumer panel purchased via Research Reward, yielding 451 usable surveys for scale validation. A measure of CSC that is both reliable and valid resulted, including 22 scale items across five distinct dimensions: style longevity, aesthetic perceptual ability, creativity, appearance importance, and authenticity. Analyses reveal a significant relationship between CSC and wardrobe engagement as well as wardrobe preservation, indicating that CSC is related to a more attentive and aware approach to clothing use that supports product longevity.

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“…The approach is increasingly employed in discussions and research about sustainable consumption (Welch & Warde, 2015). Various studies demonstrating the application of SPT have emerged as connected to domestic household management (Hoolohan et al, 2018); clothing consumption (Gill et al, 2016;Hitchings et al, 2015); laundry (Pink et al, 2015); and clothing repair and longevity (McLaren et al, 2016). Geographers too are expanding their variety of innovative methods and methodological hybrids to advance SPT research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%