Consumers’ sustainable choices in fashion: The influence of the relationships between sustainability labels, related competences and meanings of the sustainable shopping practice

Abstract: Sustainability labels have been used extensively in fashion companies recently as a way to communicate with consumers about sustainability issues, and to inform them of their choices by presenting relevant information about the environmental and social performance of products. This paper takes an approach to sustainable shopping in the context of fashion from a practice theory perspective. Therefore, it focuses on analyzing the links between sustainability labels functioning as materials and the related competences and meanings of the sustainable shopping practice; as well as exploring how consumers’ sustainable fashion choices are affected by these components. The findings of this study present that due to a lack of related competences and meanings regarding consumers’ knowledge, understanding and concerns about sustainability issues caused by the apparel industry; consumers’ knowledge, know-how and understanding of sustainability labels; as well as consumers’ trust in sustainability labels, the influence of sustainability labels on consumers’ sustainable fashion choices is not considerable enough to make them perform the sustainable shopping practice. It is indicated that in order for the sustainable shopping practice to be performed, there is a need for the specific configuration of all components that enables and shapes the performance of the practice. More specifically, consumers will act more sustainably when they have know-how and knowledge to use sustainability labels and are capable of understanding the conveyed information; perceive sustainability labels as meaningful and useful; have knowledge, understanding and concerns regarding environmental and social issues related to the fashion industry, and understand the significant difference of making sustainable choices and consumption compared with conventional shopping. Furthermore, it is indicated that the sustainable shopping practice in the fashion context is quite complicated as consumers are not always consistent when it comes to what they know, trust or are concerned about and what they actually do.