Apparel April 2019 Apparel April 2019 issue | Page 61

CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM IN THE
APPAREL INDUSTRY
Globalisation meant commoditisation of products;
getting any type of product from anywhere in the
world was possible at a relatively low cost. Value-
for-money fashion was the result of globalisation
in the apparel industry, giving rise to fast fashion.
People were expending a huge amount of
money to buy new, fashionable clothes every
weekend or every month. A heartbreaking
statistic came from a McKinsey & Company
October 2016 report titled ‘Sustainability &
Resource Productivity’. The report showed that
the number of garments produced annually
became double since 2000 and exceeded 100
billion pieces for the first time in 2014: nearly 14
new apparel items for every person on Earth.
A recent Cotton Council International and
Cotton Incorporated Global Environment research
showed the result as figure 1. The figure shows
that sustainability or environmental concerns did
not dominate consumer-buying decisions as early
as 2018.
Indonesia and India—young, urban, middle and
high-income consumers—are also advocates of
the new conscious consumerism trend.
The focus on welfare of animals has extended
well beyond food and beauty to fashion, home
care and home furnishings as well. The report
goes on to say that the conscious consumer is
here to stay. In the short, medium and long term,
mindful consumption, whether full-time or
part-time, looks set to rise. Conscious
consumers are influential and the trend will spread
to others. Additionally, rising consumer
affluence and awareness will boost the demand
for higher welfare, premium products. Investing
in animal welfare is consequently a key tool
for adding value in today’s highly competitive
business environments.
100%
NATURAL
Figure 1: Factors affecting consumer behaviour in different countries. Sustainability
is not as considered as other factors.
The developing countries were still concerned
about price over environment-friendliness last
year, but as outlined by the global consumer
trends report, the shift is happening sooner than
expected. Consumer awareness for sustainable
products is increasing day by day. The research
outlined also showed that in the US, which
generates 70 per cent of its economic growth
through consumer spending, just 55 per cent of
consumers have reduced their consumption of
goods and 65 per cent uses recycled clothes or
textiles as part of their environmental practices.
India, Mexico and China surprisingly were places
where 78 per cent were reducing consumption of
goods and 79 per cent of the consumer use
recycled garments.
Nowadays, when sustainable fashion is
becoming a major issue in the fashion market,
the use of natural fibres like cotton, wool and silk
is increasing and is playing an important role in
the fashion markets of countries like India (89 per
cent), Mexico (84 per cent), Italy (83 per cent),
APPAREL
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FEATURE
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April 2019
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