Fashion Sustainability Report 2023
Exploring attitudes and behaviours towards fashion and sustainability amongst the UK public in 2023.
Over the last few years, consumer concern toward the environment has declined. Since 2019, there has been a significant decrease in the number of people claiming that the environment is a key concern (79% 2019 vs 68% 2023) with considerably more UK adults, 1 in 3, suggesting that the environment is not something they are particularly concerned about (21% 2019 vs 32% 2023).
It could very well be that concern toward environmental issues has fallen naturally, however it is more than likely that recent global issues, such as the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, have had more of a direct financial impact, consuming our capacity for external worries.
With finances being a primary concern for many households, consumers are looking for ways to save. Amongst British adults, price is the top factor when thinking of purchasing a fashion item and 70% are either actively or considering looking for ways to get more value from clothing and fashion items, particularly women (75%) and 18-34’s (82%).
So with price top of mind, where does sustainability when it comes to fashion sit?
Despite claimed knowledge of fashion sustainability growing significantly over the last 4 years (24% in 2019, 33% in 2021, 40% in 2023), concern has remained static since 2021 (48% in 2021 vs 47% in 2023). However, this is not to say that consumers haven’t adopted more sustainable practices when it comes to clothing and fashion, but typically such behaviours are linked to cost saving.
In our third issue of the Fashion Sustainability report we share more around how UK consumers are becoming more considered in their fashion choices and their perceptions of materials in the wake of growing interest in climate, animal and people friendly products. Finally we deep dive into current and projected engagement in the circular economy and what sustainable initiatives consumers would like to see from the brands they love going forward.
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Read the full report here:
