Abstract
Use phase of apparel has many sustainability issues from laundry to disposal. In every activity, a fashion product produces a significant amount of carbon footprints and environmental impacts. One of the major issues in the use phase is frequent disposal of fashion clothing. As the trend changes, the consumers’ preferences also change and so the disposal becomes inevitable among the twenty-first-century consumers. The main reason for the unsustainable practice is lack of knowledge about the environmental impact of that practice.
Hence, this study is aimed to analyze the knowledge of the consumers regarding the environmental impact of the disposal phase of apparel and clothing. A survey was conducted among the consumers in order to evaluate their knowledge of sustainable disposal behaviors. The questions were mainly focused on the consumers’ sustainable practices and also aimed to investigate the consumers’ disposal behavior and their impact on sustainability. The results were analyzed and validated, and the knowledge level of the consumer was detailed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albinsson PA, Perera BY (2009) From trash to treasure and beyond: the meaning of voluntary disposition. J Consum Behav 8(6):340–353
Allwood JM, Laursen SE, Malvido de Rodríquez C, Bocken NMP (2006) Well dressed? The present and future sustainability of clothing and textiles in the United Kingdom. University of Cambridge, Cambridge
Angela Woo (2018) Time to wake up to the next consumer powerhouse: Gen Z, Forbes Community Voice. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/07/23/time-to-wake-up-to-the-next-consumer-powerhouse-gen-z/. Accessed 2 Feb 2019
Antil JH (1984) Socially responsible consumers: profile and implications for public policy. J Macromark 4(3):18–33
Bardhi F, Eckhardt GM (2012) Access-based consumption: the case of car sharing. J Consumer Res 39:881–897
Barnes J, Bourgeois J (1979) Viability and profile of the consumerist segment. J Consum Res 5:217–228
Bertoni S (2014) The billion-dollar dress. Forbes 194(3):118–126
Bianchi C, Birtwistle G (2010) Sell, give away, or donate: an exploratory study of fashion clothing disposal behaviour in two countries. Int Rev Retail Distrib Consum Res 20(3):353–368
Birtwistle G, Moore CM (2007) Fashion clothing-where does it all end up? Int J Retail Distrib Manag 35:210–216
Brosdahl DJ, Carpenter JM (2010) Consumer knowledge of the environmental impacts of textile and apparel production, concern for the environment, and environmentally friendly consumption behavior. J Textile Apparel Technol Manag 6(4):1–9
Butler S (2018) Everyone I know buys vintage: the Depop sellers shaking up fashion. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/oct/20/everyone-i-know-buys-vintage-the-depop-sellers-shaking-up-fashion. Accessed 10 July 2019
Cervellon M-C, Carey L, Harms T (2012) Something old, something used determinants of Women’s purchase of vintage fashion vs second-hand fashion. Int J Retail Distrib Manag 40(12):956–974
Chun H-K (1987) Differences between fashion innovators and non-fashion innovators in their clothing disposal practices, Master’s thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331. https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/parent/v118rk195/file_sets/8g84mr46w. Accessed on 10.07.2019
Circular Fibres Initiative analysis based on Euro monitor International Apparel & Footwear 2016 Edition (volume sales trends 2005–2015), 2016
Claudio L (2007) Waste couture: environmental impact of the clothing industry. Environ Health Perspect 115:448–454
Cluver BG (2008) Consumer clothing inventory management. Oregon State University, Corvallis
Cooper T (2004) Inadequate life? Evidence of consumer attitudes to product obsolescence. J Consum Policy 27:421–449
Council for Textile Recycling. Available online: http://www.weardonaterecycle.org/. Accessed 20 Jan 2019
Cruz-Cárdenas J, Gonzáles R, Gascó J (2017) Clothing disposal system by gifting: characteristics, processes, and interactions. Cloth Text Res J 35:49–63
De Young R (1989) Exploring the difference between recyclers and non-recyclers: the role of information. J Environ Syst 18:341–351
Domina T, Koch K (2002) Convenience and frequency of recycling implications for including textiles in curbside recycling programs. Environ Behav 34:216–238
D'Souza C, Taghian M, Lamb P (2006) An empirical study on the influence of environmental labels on consumers. Corp Commun Int J 11(2):162–173
Ellie Violet Bramley (2019) Is buying vintage clothing the most eco way to shop?. https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/apr/25/the-vintage-comeback-is-it-the-solution-to-sustainable-shopping. Accessed 10 July 2019
Fauziah S, Agamuthu P (2013) Policy and strategies towards sustainable waste management in Malaysia. Paper presented at the International Conference on Solid Waste 2013-Innovation in Technology and Management, China
Fletcher K (2008) Sustainable fashion and textiles: design journeys. Earthscan, London
Gam HJ (2011) Are fashion&conscious consumers more likely to adopt eco & friendly clothing? J Fash Mark Manag 15(2):78–193
Ganit Singh fast fashion has changed the industry and the economy. https://fee.org/articles/fast-fashion-has-changed-the-industry-and-the-economy/. Accessed 18 March 2019
Gao SL (2017) Fashion rental – you are what you access?. http://www.brandba.se/blog/2017/2/2/fashionrental. Accessed 10 July 2019
Ghose A (2009) Internet exchanges for used goods: an empirical analysis of trade patterns and adverse selection. MIS Q 33(2):263–291
Goudeau CV (2014) Ready to tear? A study on fashion and consumer disposal behavior, Ph.DThesis, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078. https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/14854/Goudeau_okstate_0664D_13487.pdf?sequence=1. Accessed on 10.07.2019
Gustafsson E, Ekstrom KM (2012) ‘Ett v¨axande kl¨adberg’ [a growing mountain of clothing], in Framtidens skugga, SOM-unders okningen 2011 [the shadow of the future, SOM-study 2011], Lennart Weibull, Henrik Oscarsson, and Annika Bergstrom, eds. University of Gothenburg, SOM Institute, Gothenburg, Sweden, pp 285–296
Gwozdz W, Nielsen KS, Müller T (2017) An environmental perspective on clothing consumption: consumer segments and their behavioral patterns. Sustainability 9:762
Ha-Brookshire J, Hawley J (2012) Envisioning the clothing and textile-related discipline for the 21st century its scientific nature and domain from the global supply chain perspective. Cloth Text Res J 31:17–30
Ha-Brookshire JE, Hodges NN (2009) Socially responsible consumer behavior? Exploring used clothing donation behavior. Cloth Text Res J 27:179–196
Hanson JW (1980) A proposed paradigm for consumer product disposition processes. J Consum Aff 14:49–67
Harris F, Roby H, Dibb S (2016) Sustainable clothing: challenges, barriers and interventions for encouraging more sustainable consumer behavior. Int J Consum Stud 40(3):309–318
Hawley JM (2006) Digging for diamonds: a conceptual framework for understanding reclaimed textile products. Cloth Text Res J 24(3):262–275
Hibbert SA, Horne S, Tagg S (2005) Charity retailers in competition for merchandise: examining how consumers dispose of used goods. J Bus Res 58:819–828
Hiller KY (2010) Internal and external barriers to eco-conscious apparel acquisition. Int J Consum Stud 34:279–286
Hiller-Connell KY, Kozar JM (2012) Sustainability knowledge and behaviors of apparel and textile undergraduates. Int J Sustain High Educ 13(4):394–407
Holmes A, Byrne A, Rowley J (2013) Mobile shopping behaviour: insights into attitudes, shopping process involvement and location. Int J Retail Distrib Manag 42(1):25–39
Iqbal S (2019) Online clothing rental market by end-users (women, men, and kids) and clothing style (ethnic, western, and others) – global opportunity analysis and industry forecast, 2017–2023. https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/online-clothing-rental-market. Accessed 10 July 2019
Jacoby J (1971) Personality and innovation proneness. J Mark Res 13:244–247
Jacoby J, Berning CK, Dietvorst TF (1977) What about disposition? J Mark 41(2):22–28
Jake Hall (2018) Is bryanboy right — is sustainability incompatible with fashion?, 2018. https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/vba45d/is-bryanboy-right-is-sustainability-incompatible-with-fashion. Accessed 10 July 2019
Joergens C (2006) Ethical fashion: myth or future trend? J Fash Mark Manag 10(3):369
Joung HM, Park-Poaps H (2013) Factors motivating and influencing clothing disposal behaviours. Int J Consum Stud 37(1):105–111
Joy A, Sherry JF Jr, Venkatesh A, Wang J, Chan R (2012a) Fast fashion, sustainability, and the ethical appeal of luxury brands. Fash Theory 16(3):273–296
Joy A, Sherry JF, Venkatesh A, Wand J, Chan R (2012b) Fast fashion, sustainability, and the ethical appeal of luxury brands. Fash Theory 16(3):273–296
Jung S, Jin B (2014) A theoretical investigation of slow fashion: sustainable future of the apparel industry. Int J Consum Stud 38:510–519
Jung S, Jin B (2016) Sustainable development of slow fashion businesses: customer value approach. Sustainability 8(6):40
Kates RW, Parris TM, Leiserowitz A (2018) What is sustainable development? Goals, indicators, values, and practice. Environ Sci Policy Sustain Dev 47(3):8–21. Retrieved from http://www.hks.harvard.edu/sustsci/ists/docs/whatisSD_env_kates_0504.pdf. Accessed 12 March 2019
Kim H (1995) Consumer response toward apparel products in advertisements containing environmental claims (Doctoral dissertation). Iowa State University, Ames
Kim H, Damhorst M (1998) Environmental concern and apparel consumption. Clothing Textile Res J 16(3):126–133
Kinnear TC, Taylor JR, Ahmed SA (1974) Ecologically concerned consumers: who are they? J Mark 38:20–24
Koch K, Domina T (1999) Consumer textile recycling as a means of solid waste reduction. Fam Consum Sci Res J 28:3–17
Kotler P (2000) Marketing management. Tsinghua University Press, Beijing
Laitala K, Boks C, Klepp IG (2011) Potential for environmental improvements in laundering. Int J Consum Stud 35:254–264
Lang C, Armstrong CM, Brannon LA (2013) Drivers of clothing disposal in the US: an exploration of the role of personal attributes and behaviours in frequent disposal. Int J Consum Stud 37:706–714
McAfee A, Dessain V, Sjoeman A (2004) In Harvard Business Review Publishing (ed) Zara: IT for fast fashion. Harvard Business Review Publishing, Cambridge
McCormick H, Livett C (2012) Analysing the influence of the presentation of fashion garments on young consumers’ online behaviour. J Fash Mark Manag 16(1):21–41
Mintel (2007) Clothing retailing. Mintel Intelligence, London
Morgan LR, Birtwistle G (2009) An investigation of young fashion consumers' disposal habits. Int J Consum Stud 33:190–198
Morley N, Slater S, Russell S, Tipper M, Ward GD (2006) Recycling of low grade clothing waste. Available from: http://www.oakdenehollins.co.uk/reports.php. Accessed 10 May 2019
Norum PS (2015) Trash, charity and Secondhand stores: an empirical analysis of clothing disposition. Fam Consum Sci Res J 40:21–36
Origin of the concept circular fashion (2015). https://circularfashion.com/circular-fashiondefinition/. Accessed 10 July 2019
Painter JJ, Granzin KL (1976) Profiling the male fashion innovator. In: Anderson BB (ed) Advances in consumer research, vol 3. Association for Consumer Research, Cincinnati, pp 40–45
Painter JJ, Pinegar ML (1971) Post-high teens and fashion innovation. J Mark Res 8:367–369
Park HJ (2015) The influence of consumption values on fast fashion brand purchases. Res J Costume Culture 23(3):468–483
Pookulangara S, Shephard A (2013) Slow fashion movement: understanding consumer perceptions—an exploratory study. J Retail Consum Serv 20:200–206
Rathinamoorthy R (2018) Sustainable apparel production from recycled fabric waste. In: Muthu SS (ed) Book, sustainable innovations in recycled textiles. Springer Nature, Singapore
Rathinamoorthy R (2019) Circular fashion. In: Muthu SS (ed) Book: circular economy in textiles and apparel – processing, manufacturing, and design, The textile institute book series. Woodhead Publishing, Duxford, pp 13–48
Rathinamoorthy R, Surjit R, Karthi T (2018) Clothing swap: gateway to sustainable eco-friendly fashion. In: Martínez LMT, Kharissova OV, Kharisov BI (eds) Handbook of ecomaterials. Springer International Publishing, Springer Nature, Cham
Reimers V, Magnuson B, Chao F (2017) Happiness, altruism and the Prius effect: how do they influence consumer attitudes towards environmentally responsible clothing? J Fash Mark Manag 21(1):115–132
Rogers EM (1962) Diffusion of innovation. The Free Press of Glencoe, New York
Schor JB, Fitzmaurice CJ (2015) Collaborating and connecting: the emergence of the sharing economy. In: Reisch LA, Thøgersen J (eds) Handbook of research on sustainable consumption. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp 410–425
Shen D et al (2013) Consumers’ awareness of sustainable fashion. Mark Manag J 23(2):134
Shim S (1995) Environmentalism and consumers’ clothing disposal patterns: an exploratory study. Cloth Text Res J 13:38–48
Simmel G (1904) Fashion. Int Quart 10:130–135
Stephens SH (1985) Attitudes toward socially responsible consumption: Development and validation of a scale and investigation of relationships to clothing acquisition and discard behaviors (Doctoral dissertation). Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg
The 3 pillars of sustainable development. http://www.knowledge-pills.com/comkp1/kp/series/018_updated/002_company_sustainable_development/wha02/02wha02.htm. Accessed 12 March 2019
The true cost (2016). https://truecostmovie.com/about/. Accessed 10 July 2019
Tokatli N (2008) Global sourcing insights from the clothing industry: the case of Zara, a fast fashion retailer. J Econ Geogr 8:21–38
Trauth E (2014) How clothing swap cold save the world. http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/how-clothing-swaps-could-help-save-the-world/. Accessed 28 March 2019
Young Lee J, Halter H, Johnson KK, Ju H (2013) Investigating fashion disposition with young consumers. Young Consum 14:67–78
Zarya V (2016) Rent the runway wants you to spend $1700 a year on clothes you don’t get to keep, Fortune.com, https://fortune.com/2016/03/23/rent-the-runway-unlimited/. Accessed July 2019
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rathinamoorthy, R. (2020). Clothing Disposal and Sustainability. In: Muthu, S., Gardetti, M. (eds) Sustainability in the Textile and Apparel Industries. Sustainable Textiles: Production, Processing, Manufacturing & Chemistry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38532-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38532-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-38531-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-38532-3
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)