What do we think when we go shopping? And what makes us tick when we decide to buy that sustainable tee-shirt? Prof. Amandeep Dhir, University of Agdar, Mohd Sadiq, University of Otago, Shalini Talwar, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mototaka Sakashita, Keio Business School, and Puneet Kaur, University of Bergen, explore the gap between consumers’ environmental concerns and their actual green apparel purchasing behaviour.

Sustainable Clothing: Why do we buy it – and why not? by CoBS Editor Céline Sophie Lüdtke. Related research: Why do retail consumers buy green apparel? A knowledge-attitude-behaviour-context perspective, Amandeep Dhir, Mohd Sadiq, Shalini Talwar, Mototaka Sakashita, Puneet Kaur, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

In Germany, there is a famous children’s song that goes: “Green, green, green are all my clothes. Green, green, green is everything I have.” While of course the lyrics refer to the colour green, you might be asking yourself now: How many of my clothes are actually green in the sustainable sense?

Having this song now stuck in your head, imagine that today you find yourself clothes shopping with a friend. You pick up a tee, feel the fabric, check the price, step back and take another look in the mirror at how nice the colour suits you. Almost convinced, you instinctively make a last move of glancing at the label inside. And smile. “100% recycled cotton and natural flax” reads the label. You pop the tee-shirt into your basket.

Step back a little. Why did you decide to buy it? What influences pushed you towards buying green clothing or what would prevent you? And why do the number of green clothing items you own maybe not represent your actual commitment to sustainability? This is where new research from Profs. Amandeep Dhir, Mohd Sadiq, Shalini Talwar, Puneet Kaur and Mototaka Sakashita of Keio Business School proves useful – both for you – the consumer – and for the brands behind sustainable clothing.

We like sustainability – why don’t we buy it more?

There has been a general increase in consumer awareness of sustainability and environmental issues in recent years. However, this attitude is not mirrored by a similar increase in green apparel purchasing behaviour. This observation is referred to as the “knowledge-behaviour gap”. For while consumers have knowledge of sustainability issues and what to look out for in their apparel purchase, they do not necessarily buy green.

Past research in Japan has shown that insufficient labelling influences lacklustre green buying behaviour among Japanese consumers. Building on this, the authors specifically decided to include green apparel buying behaviour in their new research, and as a result explore possible solutions to the knowledge-behaviour gap among consumers.

Moreover, by researching the drivers behind green purchasing behaviour together with labelling desire and satisfaction, these researchers sought to enable marketers, policymakers and researchers to bring about an increase in the consumption of green apparel.

Zooming in on Japan, zooming out to the world

A leader in terms of introducing green technologies and with a population boasting a high awareness of environmental issues, it makes sense to focus on Japan and its consumers. However, at the same time, Japanese purchasing behaviour regarding green products – including sustainable clothing – is still at a low-ish 33%.

This may be impacted by culturally-specific drivers that influence positive environmental behaviour. For example, while Japanese consumers put a high value on potential health benefits of the products they purchase, American and European consumers are explicitly influenced by environmental concern when it comes to purchasing green products.

The stakes involved – given the low green purchasing rate in Japan, and also taking into account the need to curb the garment sector’s massive carbon footprint as a prime polluter (10% of the world’s carbon emissions, with green apparel constituting a mere 10% of the global market) – naturally point towards encouraging the consumption of sustainable clothing in the country.

Mind the gap: What makes us buy sustainable – or not?

Taking into account age and gender, and using models to analyse the process of knowledge, context, attitudes, and subsequent behaviour, as well as an online survey, the researchers came up with the following findings.

Environmental knowledge and its connection to environmental trust, concern and attitude are key elements that bridge the gap between awareness of sustainability and resulting behaviours.

The more knowledgeable a consumer is about environmental issues, the more it positively influences their environmental trust, concern and attitude. Moreover, thanks to their acquired knowledge, consumers can trust the arguments producers provide on the sustainability of their products. They become concerned about the rapid depletion of natural resources, and they believe that purchasing and using sustainable products actually can help save the environment.

At the same time, the research found that there was no significant connection between a concern for the environment and a positive attitude towards the environment. This suggests that even with awareness of severe pollution in the environment, its consequences for human life and the actions required to stop it, consumers do not believe that engaging in sustainable and environmentally friendly behaviour would make a difference. All in all, the research points to demonstrating that a concern for the environment does not automatically mean that consumers will start buying green apparel.

Moreover, green trust neither influences green concern nor green attitude. A possible explanation for this could be that firms share too many confusing messages about the sustainability characteristics of their product. Information overload of a green nature tends to make consumers mistrust the messages and ideas these companies try to project. And even if consumers were to trust these producers, this does not necessarily translate into a more pronounced environmental attitude.

The good news, however, is that the moment consumers do trust the producers and their products in terms of their sustainability claims, they are more likely to purchase green apparel.

Overall, the key to bridging the gap between environmental attitude and green apparel buying behaviour is having greater knowledge of the environment.

Sustainable Clothing: Better labelling = better environment?

Previous research has found that one of the reasons people avoided buying green apparel was their inability to clearly identify it. This holds true: The easier a consumer can recognise a sustainable product through its label, the more likely they are to buy it.

However, the paradox is that consumers tend not to desire sustainable clothing labels, most likely because this is connected to their lack of product-specific knowledge of green apparel in general. Again, knowledge and awareness are key ingredients that influence the consumer to buy green.

Finally, what can be done to make our wardrobe greener?

As seen, environmental knowledge, environmental attitude and green trust influence green apparel buying behaviour, as does labelling satisfaction. Practically, this means that clothing firms can tweak those variables to increase green apparel purchases.

But firms are not the only players and influencers. Policymakers too. As environmental knowledge is a key factor influencing consumers to buy green apparel, policymakers are in a unique position to affect the green buying behaviour of consumers by increasing society’s knowledge of environmental issues. By launching information and education initiatives – for example on social media – consumers will ultimately gain higher green trust and a more positive environmental attitude that will lead them to make that green purchase.

Returning to the producers of green apparel, this fresh research points to consumers’ desire for clear information and transparency. Manufacturers can meet these expectations by getting endorsements from experts who confirm the manufacturer’s environmentally-friendly production process. Even more so, they can employ transparency measures such as having consumers visit the production facilities to experience first-hand the sustainability measures employed.

However, not only manufacturers can benefit from the connection between green trust and environmental attitude in green apparel buying behaviour. Marketers can leverage these links by supporting environmental initiatives and employing communication strategies to enhance product knowledge. Not to mention that both manufacturers and retailers should make an effort to showcase a product’s green characteristics, for example in the form of eco labels.

So what about the time you made that sustainable purchase? Was it trust in the label? The certification? Or simply the fact that you are indeed deeply concerned by what happens to the planet? Next time when in a store, you might like to pause, have a think about it – and make another wise and positively green buy.

Useful links:

• Link up on LinkedIn: Amandeep Dhir, Mohd Sadiq, Shalini Talwar, Puneet Kaur, Mototaka Sakashita
• Read a related article: The circular economy: more than just a buzzword
• Discover Keio Business School, Japan
• Apply for the Keio MBA international program exchange.

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