Prioritising sustainable garment choice among high-volume fashion consumers

<p><b>Purpose</b><br>Addressing the negative environment and social impacts of the fashion industry has emerged as a major societal challenge in the last century, however people continue to over-consume and over-waste textile products in the form of fashion garments. More research is required to understand how fashion consumption connects with perceptions of sustainability and sustainable action by individual consumers.</p> <p><br><b>Design/methodology/approach</b><br>This paper surveys 501 Australian and New Zealand consumers, on their fashion purchasing habits, and the role of sustainability in their fashion consumption behaviour.</p> <p> </p> <p><b>Findings</b><br>The study found a relationship between higher levels of garment consumption and increased focus on sustainability in fashion choices. This finding is significant, as it suggests that fashion over-consumers are still mindful of the sustainable impacts of their consumption, and are motivated toward reducing that impact, despite not reducing their volume of consumption.</p> <p><br><b>Originality</b><br>The study indicates the importance of a continued focus on transparency and traceability of fashion products in Australasia, as some over-consumers use this information to make better choices in the purchase situation, as opposed to acting on a general call to reduce consumption.</p> <p> </p> <p><b>Keywords</b><br>Fashion, over-consumption, labelling, sustainability</p>