The sustainable clothing market: an evaluation of potential strategies for UK retailers

Abstract

Purpose-This paper aims to investigate consumers' perspectives on sustainable clothing consumption and to examine ways in which this information could influence retailers' policies. Design/methodology/approach-Qualitative research was conducted using focus groups, home tasks and workshops with 99 participants. The sample represented different groups of consumers in relation to their sustainability behaviour. Findings-Focus group participants had a limited awareness of the sustainability impacts of clothing. Where participants displayed pro-environmental behaviour, this was not necessarily intentional, but was largely a response to other influences. The respondents' maintenance and disposal of clothes were found to be influenced mainly by existing habits and routines, which usually take precedence over awareness of sustainable practice. The research indicated that consumers could be persuaded to change their behaviour in relation to sustainability by being encouraged and enabled to reflect more on their behaviour. Research limitations/implications-This study uses qualitative research and is limited to UK consumers. Future research in this field could incorporate quantitative methods or in-depth interviews. Academics could conduct further research and generate theories which apply to the sustainable consumption of clothing. Social implications-The findings have implications for retailers, academics and society. Retailers can develop and implement more sustainable policies and practices in relation to clothing production and consumption. There are wider implications for society and the environment in that retailers' practices can impact greatly on the sustainability of the planet's resources. Originality/value-This paper's originality lies in its assessment of the implications for retailers of consumers' views on the sustainable consumption of clothing.

Ethical Climate and Job Attitude in Fashion Retail Employees’ Turnover Intention, and Perceived Organizational Sustainability Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In the past, fashion businesses have been criticized for causing a negative environmental impact and damage around the world [2]. To fulfill the profit-driven nature of the industry, many fashion retail businesses have focused solely on the financial aspect of organizational performance, often causing social and environmental problems [2,3,16]. Therefore, the results addressed the importance of including social and environmental aspects of organizational performance.…”

“…These correlations imply that all three relationships simultaneously help each other to achieve superior organizational performance [92,93]. In the past, fashion businesses have been criticized for causing a negative environmental impact and damage around the world [2]. To fulfill the profit-driven nature of the industry, many fashion retail businesses have focused solely on the financial aspect of organizational performance, often causing social and environmental problems [2,3,16].…”

“…Moreover, a work culture that supports and encourages ethical behavior is identified as another key antecedent of employees' turnover intentions and the sustainability performance of organizations [2,17,18]. The collective effect of organizational employees' ethical perceptions is found to generate shared ethical work norms within a work environment, in turn positively stimulating individuals' attitudes toward their jobs and the organization, and influencing ethical decision-making processes within the organization [17,19].…”

“…The close proximity to consumers also heightens the need to meet today's consumers' wants and needs for sustainability. Unfortunately, the fashion retail industry is still criticized for its negative social and environmental impact, often stemming from its high rate of employee turnover and competitive market environment [2,3]. To combat these criticisms and improve sustainability performance, many of today's fashion retail businesses both voluntarily and involuntarily integrate social and environmental practices and policies into their business models [4].…”

Sustainable Retailing in the Fashion Industry: A Systematic Literature Review

“…After that, the articles were further refined by these themes as the data analysis proceeded. The results of data analysis indicated that these research articles could be categorized into five major content areas, which include: (1) sustainable retailing in disposable fashion, fast fashion, and slow fashion [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]; (2) green branding and eco-labeling [15,17,20,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]; (3) retailing of secondhand fashion [15,18,21,26,32,[36][37][38][39]; (4) reverse logistics in fashion retailing [21,22,[36][37][38]40,41]; (5) emerging retailing opportunities in e-commerce [15,21,22,[42][43]…”