Sustainability an important factor for 75% Polish consumers: Report

Over 66 per cent Polish customers claimed to be willing to pay more for eco-friendly and ethically produced apparel items, according to the latest report by Vogue Polska and the Warsaw office of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) titled ‘Consumers' Adaptation to Sustainability in Fashion’.

Consumers are the key driver pushing the industry to assume greater responsibility for its environmental impact, added the report.

"If we continue on the current climate trajectory, we may soon face catastrophic and irreversible changes. By 2050, more than 570 cities could be at risk from a 0.5-meter rise in global sea level, and adverse environmental conditions could displace 250 million people," said Oktawian Zajac, managing director and partner in the Warsaw office of BCG.

Not only individual companies, but entire sectors of the fashion industry are growing more aware of the seriousness of the situation. "The fashion industry is a major contributor to the world's looming climate catastrophe, accounting for 5 per cent of global carbon emissions and nearly 20 per cent of wastewater," said Kasia Jordan-Kulczyk, chairwoman of Vogue Polska. "However, these numbers have started to change in recent years, mainly due to pressure from international organisations, the media, and the public."

Nevertheless, one in four respondents remain indifferent to or sceptical about buying sustainable clothing in preference to non-sustainable garments. Of those who do not shop sustainably, 69 per cent do not view eco-credentials as important factors in their purchasing decisions, and 42 per cent have doubts about the ethical and environmental impact of brands. Others consider sustainable apparel to be either too limited in range relative to regular product lines (21 per cent) or too expensive (20 per cent).

Additionally, as many as two-thirds of those surveyed expressed a willingness to pay more for sustainable products, the report found that a 20 per cent increase in price reduced initial demand for sustainable apparel by up to 62 per cent.

The most alarming results from the survey are that up to 26 per cent of consumers would not consider buying sustainable apparel even if it were priced the same as regular apparel; and a high percentage of consumers (20-30 per cent) do not understand what sustainability means.

The report recommended that firms operating within the fashion industry should make consumer education a central component of their business strategy. Additional actions that companies should take to encourage more conscious shopping include expanding sustainable product offerings, addressing misperceptions about the quality of sustainable apparel through better communication, and rolling out such new business models as rent, reuse, and resell. The starting point for each brand should be to transform its supply chains.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)