TY  - JOUR
AB  - 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.
VL  - 40
IS  - 12
SN  - 0959-0552
DO  - 10.1108/09590551211274937
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/09590551211274937
AU  - Goworek Helen
AU  - Fisher Tom
AU  - Cooper Tim
AU  - Woodward Sophie
AU  - Hiller Alex
ED  - Stephen M. Wigley
ED  - Pammi Sinha
PY  - 2012
Y1  - 2012/01/01
TI  - The sustainable clothing market: an evaluation of potential strategies for UK retailers
T2  - International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 935
EP  - 955
Y2  - 2024/05/08
ER  -