Consumer’s guilt gap on sustainability and the price

Now that governments and brands are making efforts to go for sustainable textiles products the response of buyers has not yet been properly evaluated.

In Europe, for instance, brands are forced to go for recycled and sustainable products because of new EU law that mandates the elimination of use of virgin fibers in textiles and clothing.

In the US the pressure seems to be from the consumers more than the government. In Asia, the consumers are not so concerned and the brands may continue with a mixture of environmentally friendly production along with the use of virgin fibers in their products.

A glimpse of a recent survey that will be released next week shows that consumers do show concern for environmental degradation caused by textile products but there is a guilt gap when it comes to buying fashion clothing.



They do want sustainable textile products but not at a higher price or the finesse of the garment and the stylishness of the dress.

The survey was conducted in the United States and a few European countries taking views of 7000 shoppers.

Preliminary findings reveal that shoppers in the United States and the United Kingdom still want to buy more clothes on a regular basis which is against the basic aim of sustainability. Shoppers in Germany and Spain plan to use clothes for longer periods and curtail buying new garments.

It was also found that consumers do not want the brands to hide anything from them and transparently give each detail about the garment from fiber to garment on their websites, at their stores and on the labels of the garments.

They also want the retailers to guide them in making the right buying decision.