Page 19 - TEXtalks. March- April 2023

Consumer’s guilt gap on
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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. AD
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.

Inditex promoting

regenerative agriculture

Owner of fashion brand Zara, Inditex has signed a leather, wool, and cashmere. This investment will be
€15 million (US$16.2m) investment agreement to utilized to enhance sustainability in the fashion
scale the work of ‘Regenerative Fund for industry by promoting sustainable agriculture.
Nature’operated by the Conservation International
global non-profit. Regenerative agricultural practices are one of the
Conservation International launched the fund in ways of reducing environmental impacts. It
2021 along with Kering, the luxury goods retail promotes methods that enhance biodiversity,
group. The fund aims to transform by 2026, around increases soil health, restore water cycles, and act
10,000 hectares of crop and rangelands into as a carbon sink. Conservation International seeks
regenerative agricultural systems. new funding partners for its programs which fund
farming groups, project leaders, NGOs, and other
Inditex raised US$16.2 million through its scheme stakeholders who are ready to test, prove and scale
called #BRING YOUR BAG launched in 2021. Under regenerative practices. Besides Conservation
this scheme, Inditex brands charged all its International Inditex’s ongoing shopping bag charge
customers for single-use paper shopping bags. The initiative is also supporting five other environmental
aim was to encourage the use of reusable bags. projects and collaborations. This includes World
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to aid in the protection
The fashion industry is dependent on agriculture for of ecosystems and fauna in danger of extinction in
its numerous raw materials that include cotton, South America and China.

March/April 2023