10 Stats that Reveal How Consumers Feel About Sustainability in Retail
Earlier this year, Nosto commissioned an online study to understand consumer perspectives around sustainability. The results revealed a number of interesting insights and contrasts that every retailer should know in order to stay on top of this growing expectation.
Currently, almost 20% of global water waste is produced by the fashion industry, according to the UNECE. To help offset this percentage, there have been efforts in the past year aimed at improving the level of sustainability in fashion: from the promotion of eco-friendly clothing by brands like Everlane and Reformation to a French initiative championed by French president Emmanuel Macron.
To further understand how consumers feel about sustainability in the fashion industry, we commissioned an online survey of 2,000 consumers (1,000 in the US and 1,000 in the UK) in April 2019. The results revealed a number of interesting insights and contrasts that every retailer should know in order to stay on top of this growing expectation. Here are 10 statistics derived from the survey.
Consumer Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion: Top 10 Statistics
1. Over half of survey respondents (52%) said they want the fashion industry to become more sustainable.
2. From a gender perspective, the expectation of retail sustainability is broadly similar across both men (55%) and women (50%).
3. The desire for sustainability is also broadly similar across most age groups — suggesting a shift in the trend that has been historically associated with millennial (25-34) and Generation Z (18-24) consumers.
4. 50% of consumers who desire sustainable fashion would be more likely to buy clothes from companies they know are committed to sustainability.
5. 28% of consumers would stop buying clothes from a company if they find out it is not committed to the cause.
6. Identifying truly sustainable brands can be difficult for many consumers. 45% of survey respondents say it is difficult to know which fashion companies are truly committed to sustainability.
7. When it comes to fashion brands who say they are committed to sustainability, only 23% of consumers believe they have a generally good idea of what these brands mean when they claim to be sustainable.
8. Pay more, waste less: 32% of consumers would pay more for a product from a brand that they believe is committed to sustainability.
9. 43% of consumers want brands to be more aggressive about showing sustainable products on-site to further personalize their shopping experience.
10. 75% of environmentally-conscious consumers want brands to reduce the amount of packaging they use.
Interested in digging deeper into consumer insights regarding sustainability in fashion retail?
Download Nosto’s Sustainability in Fashion Retail report and get access to additional stats and detailed demographic breakdowns.
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