Sustainability has become a buzzword in fashion retail, with almost all clothing retailers advertising more environmentally friendly products. This has been driven by an increased desire from consumers for sustainable items, as they look to minimize their impact on the environment. In fact, in a worldwide survey, over one quarter of consumers said that they had made a significant
. When it came to clothing in particular, three-fifths of consumers said that
, fashion, and footwear. Shoppers in the United States are no exception. There was strong agreement from Americans that the
.
U.S. sustainable fashion purchases
There are multiple incentives for the purchase of sustainable fashion beyond the environmental benefits. When asked for the
reasons they purchase eco-friendly fashion items in 2023, Americans also listed the quality, health benefits, and to support projects for a good cause. These qualities
motivated sustainability-conscious fashion purchase changes in the United States. For example, almost one third of consumers tried out a new product, and almost one quarter tried out a new shop. Giving up environmentally unfriendly items proved less common however. Only 14 percent of respondents had stopped buying a certain product, and slightly fewer stopped visiting a certain store. Notably, 42 percent of those surveyed had not done any of the listed changes, showing consumers’ behavior does not always align with their sustainable shopping intentions.
Barriers to sustainability
One obstacle towards a more sustainable lifestyle is many U.S. consumers’ desire for a more extended wardrobe. When asked about their
attitudes towards sustainable fashion, one third said that they prefer to buy many cheap clothes instead of a few expensive ones. One fifth said that they own many fashion items they never wear. In a separate survey, 58 percent of lifestyle consumers in the U.S. did say that they
intended to purchase fewer products for the sake of sustainability, but this was lower than in other countries, such as France, the United Kingdom, and China. This issue is exacerbated by a further barrier, the price of sustainable fashion. 56 percent of fashion consumers in the U.S. said that they somewhat or strongly
agreed that environmentally friendly clothes are often too expensive.
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