Online UK, US, French buyers worried over fashion's environment impact

Ipsos Group—the parent organisation of Synthesio Inc—is a multinational market research and consulting firm headquartered in Paris.

Online conversations about fast fashion have increased by 52 per cent between 2020 and 2022, and negative sentiment related to the topic has steadily risen, it found.

Cheap, trendy clothing is under the microscope in social media conversations, not only because of its impact on the environment, but because of fast fashion brands’ treatment of workers, it said.

Sustainable brands, alternatives and shopping behaviours are top of mind for social media users. Between 2020 and 2022, sustainable fashion comprised 37.6 per cent of fashion-related conversations in the three countries, while upcycling contributed 16.9 per cent.

In 2022 alone, the volume of sustainable fashion mentions increased by an average of 13 per cent, with the greatest increase in the United Kingdom (16 per cent).

Textiles 2030 is a voluntary initiative led by Worldwide Responsible Accredited production (WRAP), which seeks to engage UK fashion and textile organisations in joint climate action.

So far 17 businesses, making up more than half of UK clothing and textile sales, have signed the agreement, committing themselves to reduce their carbon impact by 50 per cent and water impact by 30 per cent.

The initiative also provides a ‘Roadmap to 2030’ which guides signatories on how they can achieve these ambitious targets.

While the initiative does not yet include targets around textile waste, it aims to develop a target around reducing the amount of virgin textiles use by 2025.

Signatories to the agreement include the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), as well as a number of brands and retailers and reuse and recycling organisations.

Within the retail sector, these commitments are turning into action. For example, the number of in-store and online clothing and textile take back schemes, as well as bring banks, have increased since 2019, a press release by Ipsos said. 

These actions support the move towards a more circular economy by helping to extend the useful life of textile products and increase reuse and recycling.

However, there are currently some limitations to such schemes implemented by retailers.

First, uptake of retailer takeback schemes by the public is low, with only 2 per cent of people choosing this method to donate their unwanted clothing. 

Additionally, in a consumer survey by WRAP, 15 per cent of respondents who had disposed of an item via a retailer take-back scheme in their last big clear out stated that they always bought new clothing at the time of dropping off their unwanted clothing items, and a further 20 per cent stated that they often did so.

This suggests that such schemes may inadvertently encourage further textile consumption, the press release added.

A while ago, WRAP released a report on textile policy options accompanied by a cost-benefit analysis, providing detailed insights into measures that can be taken towards a more sustainable future.

The report emphasises the need to shift towards a circular economy, where materials are kept in use for longer, products are refurbished, and waste is minimised.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)