Information transparency design : Supporting sustainable consumer behaviour in the clothing industry

Abstract: Digital technologies can be used to provide consumers in the clothing industry with information in a transparent way that supports sustainable consumer behaviour. Consumers expect more information that can support their sustainable behaviour but have little trust in the information, thus introducing the consumer need for more information transparency in the clothing industry which is the subject of this research study. A qualitative interview study is used to explore consumer informational needs and sustainable consumer behaviour in the clothing industry by purchasing second-hand clothing or adopting a digital clothing sharing service. The theory of planned behaviour was applied in the construction of the study and in the thematic analysis to understand consumer behaviour. Findings show that information transparency can be designed to provide subjective relevance, social -, financial-, and temporal transparency and information accessibility to support sustainable consumer behaviour in the clothing industry because it increases trust, understandability and accessibility. The study contributes with knowledge of additional dimensions for information transparency and particularly to service research by showing that consumers need information transparency to promote a collaborative relation between consumers and companies.