In part one (check it out here ), I brought into attention the need to look beyond scrutinising production behaviours. It is also important to view consumers as parties that are equally contributing to the pollution problems of the fashion industry.
Businesses, who are driven by profit, often respond to consumers by adjusting to their needs in an attempt to capture higher demand (Hann and Wang, 2016). While many companies have tried to incorporate sustainable practises into the making of their products, the consumption reaction ends up being unfavourable, deterring producers from using ‘greener’ methods. Often, this is due to the consumer’s negative response to the higher price of products.
Additionally, while environmental consciousness is on the rise, many consumers still remain unaware of the environmental costs of the products they are buying (Papadopoulou et al., 2021). Naturally, we would not alter our purchases to more eco-friendly products, once again lowering the incentives for producers to manufacture them in the first place.
The problems presented above thus shows the crucial role played by consumers if we want to solve the pollution issues of the fashion industry. To truly make a difference, it is significant that we not only alter producer behaviour, but more importantly, change the ways consumers are approaching fashion products as well.
Other than shaping the industry through our purchasing choices, consumers also contribute directly to the level of pollution. This is particularly evident in our contribution to solid textile waste. Due to accelerated consumption of clothing, we also discard more. The World Bank shows that the amount of clothing purchased now is 60% more than it was in 2000. Despite this increase, only less than 1% of our clothing is recycled into new garments. Many of such clothing are not worn or donated as well, and end up in a landfill.
Understanding the end-of-life of our garments can perhaps serve as a wake up call for us. Afterall, out of sight, out of mind is quite a relatable statement when it comes to our casual disposal of our clothes.
The Wider Implication
In the bigger picture, the situation may still have hope. Since the beginning of 2000, a concept of ‘slow fashion’ has emerged as a counter to the fast fashion culture. Slow fashion aims to encourage lower levels of consumption and environmentally conscious choices when purchasing. While it is beginning to gain traction, the transition to slow fashion is not one that is smooth and easy.
Ultimately, consumption behaviour is one that is extremely complex. While fast fashion is extremely damaging to the environment, it has also helped to democratise fashion, increasing accessibility for those, especially the poor, that would previously consider fashion out of reach. Fashion and its consumption is also fueled by notions of health and well-being, where the shopping experience itself brings more value than the materialistic (Parker and Henninger, 2018).
Therefore, consumption of fashion products is one that is highly associated with various economic, social and cultural factors. To begin encouraging better consumption attitudes, we need to better understand the reasons why consumers are consuming in the first place.
COMING UP
In the next few posts, we shall explore what are the various drivers fueling consumers towards mass consumption of fashion products in 2021!
Cheers,
Hui Jie
References
References
Hann, M., & Wang, C. (2016). Fast, ethical and sustainable-The challenge for twenty-first century fashion producers. The Research Journal of the Costume Culture, 24(1), 114-117.
Moore, K. (2019, June 5). Report Shows Customers Want Responsible Fashion, But Don’t Want To Pay For It. What Should Brands Do?. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kaleighmoore/2019/06/05/report-shows-customers-want-responsible-fashion-but-dont-want-to-pay-for-it/?sh=3eb7329f1782
Papadopoulou, M., Papasolomou, I., & Thrassou, A. (2021). Exploring the level of sustainability awareness among consumers within the fast-fashion clothing industry: a dual business and consumer perspective. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal.
Parker, C. J., & Henninger, C. E. (2018). Focus on the fast fashion industry. Eco-Friendly and Fair: Fast Fashion and Consumer Behaviour.
Rapid Transition Alliance. (2019, November 15). Unfashionable consumption: is fashion fixing itself?. Retrieved from https://www.rapidtransition.org/stories/unfashionable-consumption-is-fashion-fixing-itself/.
The World Bank. (2019, September 23). How Much Do Our Wardrobes Cost to the Environment?. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/09/23/costo-moda-medio-ambiente.
Image Source:
Beton, A., Dias, D., Farrant, L., Gibon, T., Le Guern, Y., Desaxce, M., ... & Dodd, N. (2014). Environmental improvement potential of textiles (IMPRO-Textiles). European Commission.
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