Sustainable behavior towards fashion products: A systematic literature review

Authors

Keywords:

Attitude, Consumer purchasing behavior, Behavior, Sustainability, Sustainable consumption

Abstract

Consumer behavior has been of concern over the past decades in the fashion industry worldwide, and several researchers have conducted studies on this issue. This paper examined consumer purchasing habits, consumers’ knowledge of sustainability, and the challenges of ensuring sustainable consumption. The study provides a literature review on consumers’ behavior using 27 articles from 3 different databases from 2018 to 2023. The meta-synthesis approach was used to conduct the study. The researcher assessed some 105 articles and, in the end, settled on 27 articles to conduct the final review. The findings from the studies reveal that consumer purchasing habits have an impact on sustainable practices, as some clothes are discarded after being worn once. It also showed that most consumers are unaware of sustainable consumption in fashion, and those who are aware are hesitant to incorporate it into their purchasing habits. The study concludes that to ensure sustainable consumption among fashion consumers, it is necessary to implement educational forums and strategic measures.

References

Abbate, S., Centobelli, P., Cerchione, R., Nadeem, S. P., & Riccio, E. (2024). Sustainability trends and gaps in the textile, apparel and fashion industries. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26(2), 2837-2864.

Afshari, P., & Yazdani, S. (2024). Meta-ethnography, a method for the synthesis of qualitative research: A narrative review. Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences, 13(2), 111-117.

Agarwal, A., & Jaiwant, S. V. (2023). Role of social media influencers in fashion and clothing. In Social media and online consumer decision making in the fashion industry (pp. 203-229). IGI Global.

Aggarwal, N., & More, C. (2020). Fast fashion: A testimony on violation of environment and human rights. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance Management Sciences, 1(3), 1277-1304.

Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior. Action control. Springer.

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational behavior human decision processes, 50(2), 179-211.

Bengtsson, M. (2016). How to plan and perform a qualitative study using content analysis. NursingPlus Open, 2, 8-14.

Berger-Grabner, D. (2018). Sustainability in fashion: An oxymoron? In Innovation Management and Corporate Social Responsibility (pp. 171-180). Springer.

Blazquez, M., Henninger, C. E., Alexander, B., & Franquesa, C. (2020). Consumers’ knowledge and intentions towards sustainability: A Spanish fashion perspective. Fashion Practice, 12(1), 34-54.

Brandão, A., & da Costa, A. G. (2021). Extending the theory of planned behavior to understand the effects of barriers towards sustainable fashion consumption. European Business Review, 33(5), 742-774.

Busalim, A., Fox, G., & Lynn, T. (2022). Consumer behavior in sustainable fashion: A systematic literature review and future research agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 46(5), 1804-1828.

Byrd, K., & Su, J. (2021). Investigating consumer behavior for environmental, sustainable and social apparel. International Journal of Clothing Science Technology, 33(3), 336-352.

Crommentuijn-Marsh, P., Eckert, C., & Potter, S. (2010, March 2-4). Consumer behavior towards sustainability within fashion. International Conference on Kansei Engineering and Emotion Research. Paris, France.

ElShishtawy, N., Sinha, P., & Bennell, J. A. (2022). A comparative review of zero-waste fashion design thinking and operational research on cutting and packing optimisation. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 15(2), 187-199.

Hur, E., & Cassidy, T. (2019). Perceptions and attitudes towards sustainable fashion design: challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainability in fashion. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 12(2), 208-217.

Jalil, M. H., & Shaharuddin, S. S. (2019). Consumer purchase behavior of eco-fashion clothes as a trend to reduce clothing waste. International Journal of Innovative Technology Exploring Engineering, 8(12), 4224-4233.

Joy, A., Sherry Jr, J. F., Venkatesh, A., Wang, J., & Chan, R. (2012). Fast fashion, sustainability, and the ethical appeal of luxury brands. 16(3), 273-295.

Jung, H. J., Choi, Y. J., & Oh, K. W. (2020). Influencing factors of Chinese consumers’ purchase intention to sustainable apparel products: Exploring consumer “attitude–behavioral intention” gap. Sustainability, 12(5), 1770.

Kam, S., & Yoo, Y. (2022). Practice of sustainable fashion design considering customer emotions and personal tastes. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 976471.

Kim, I., Jung, H. J., & Lee, Y. (2021). Consumers’ value and risk perceptions of circular fashion: Comparison between secondhand, upcycled, and recycled clothing. Sustainability, 13(3), 1208.

Kuhlman, T., & Farrington, J. (2010). What is sustainability? Sustainability, 2(11), 3436-3448. https://doi.org/10.3390/su2113436

Li, J., & Leonas, K. K. (2021). The impact of communication on consumer knowledge of environmentally sustainable apparel. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 26(4), 622-639. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-02-2021-0034

Mandarić, D., Hunjet, A., & Kozina, G. (2021). Perception of consumers’ awareness about sustainability of fashion brands. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 14(12), 594.

Mohr, I., Fuxman, L., & Mahmoud, A. B. (2022). A triple-trickle theory for sustainable fashion adoption: The rise of a luxury trend. Journal of Fashion Marketing Management: An International Journal, 26(4), 640-660.

Pereira, L., Carvalho, R., Dias, Á., Costa, R., & António, N. (2021). How does sustainability affect consumer choices in the fashion industry? Resources, 10(4), 38.

Priya, A. (2022). Impact of second-hand clothing waste in Ghana. International Journal of Law Management and Humanities, 5(2), 1679-1683. https://doij.org/10.10000/IJLMH.112981

Rother, E. T. (2007). Systematic literature review X narrative review. 20, v-vi.

Rotimi, E. O. O., Johnson, L. W., Kalantari Daronkola, H., Topple, C., & Hopkins, J. (2023). Predictors of consumers' behavior to recycle end-of-life garments in Australia. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 27(2), 262-286.

Ruan, Y., Xu, Y., & Lee, H. (2022). Consumer motivations for luxury fashion rental: A second-order factor analysis approach. Sustainability, 14(12), 7475.

Saari, U. A., Damberg, S., Frömbling, L., & Ringle, C. M. (2021). Sustainable consumption behavior of Europeans: The influence of environmental knowledge and risk perception on environmental concern and behavioral intention. Ecological Economics, 189, 107155.

Sheoran, M., & Kumar, D. (2022). Benchmarking the barriers of sustainable consumer behavior. Social Responsibility Journal, 18(1), 19-42.

Soyer, M., & Dittrich, K. (2021). Sustainable consumer behavior in purchasing, using and disposing of clothes. Sustainability, 13(15), 8333.

Srividya, N., Atiq, R., & Volety, N. S. (2024). Qualitative research on responsible consumption concerning apparel. Cleaner and Responsible Consumption, 12, 100178.

Stange, S.-M., Fagerstrøm, A., & Lasrado, L. A. (2022). Blockchain-enabled sustainability labeling in the fashion industry. Procedia Computer ScienceRemme, Anne-Marthe Rekdal, 196, 280-287.

Su, J., & Chang, A. (2018). Factors affecting college students’ brand loyalty toward fast fashion: A consumer-based brand equity approach. International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, 46(1), 90-107.

Su, J., Watchravesringkan, K. T., Zhou, J., & Gil, M. (2019). Sustainable clothing: Perspectives from US and Chinese young Millennials. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 47(11), 1141-1162. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-09-2017-0184

Vehmas, K., Raudaskoski, A., Heikkilä, P., Harlin, A., & Mensonen, A. (2018). Consumer attitudes and communication in circular fashion. Journal of Fashion Marketing Management: An International Journal, 22(3), 286-300.

Zahid, N. M., Khan, J., & Tao, M. (2023). Exploring mindful consumption, ego involvement, and social norms influencing second-hand clothing purchase. Current Psychology, 42(16), 13960-13974.

Zhang, B., Zhang, Y., & Zhou, P. (2021). Consumer attitude towards sustainability of fast fashion products in the UK. Sustainability, 13(4), 1646.

Zhang, Y., Liu, C., & Lyu, Y. (2023). Profiling consumers: Examination of Chinese gen z consumers’ sustainable fashion consumption. Sustainability, 15(11), 8447.

Zohoori, S., Davodiroknabadi, A., & Dadmarz, N. (2016). Conceptual costume design: Utilizing recyclable materials to help sustain the environment. International Journal of Applied Arts Studies, 1(1), 53-61.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-01