People’s choice to include sustainable clothing : Influences on consumer behavior and decision making in the choice of clothing

Abstract: The environmental debate is one of the most discussed topics today. The textile industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Nowadays, there are many different sustainably certified garments on the market. As a consumer, it can be challenging to understand what is behind the different certifications, which ones are trustworthy and what they stand for, and how reliability can be ensured. Many consumers are aware and want to be green, but their final actions are not always green. People do not trust the fashion industry; they are skeptical and claim that there are many greenwashing intentions among fashion companies. This study aimed to analyze the reasons why consumers chose to include or exclude sustainable material when buying clothes.  To answer our purpose, we chose to ask the following questions:  How crucial are environmentally friendly attitudes when it comes to sustainable clothing purchases?  What are the main reasons and external influences for people to think green and buy or not buy green?  People aware of the environmental debate chose not to contribute to sustainability. Instead of choosing a sustainable garment over a non-sustainable item, they put other factors first. These customers mistrust the textile industry. Therefore, sustainable factors have a low impact on their decision to buy a piece of clothing. A qualitative study was made based on semi-structured interviews with people aware of the sustainability debate. We can draw from this study that due to the people's lack of trust; the environmental aspects are set aside. Instead, the willingness to pay plays a more significant role in the final buying decision. We believe that our research provides a new angle to understanding today's consumer behavior as a whole and explains why there is a gap between people's environmental awareness and their buying behaviors and what could be done to address it.