Sustainability and the Consumer

However, there has now been a shift in attitudes and the importance of the environment is becoming an ever increasing consideration to consumers when making purchases. A study by Unilever revealed that a third of consumers are now making purchase-decisions based on the impact of the environment and social implications. (Unilever, 2017)

This has driven fast fashion brands, who were primarily exposed in recent documentaries like ‘The True Cost’ [2015], to respond to this demand by adopting a more circular and transparent approach to their supply chain. For example, H&M have run their ‘Close the Loop’ campaign since 2013, which encourages consumers to bring in bags of old clothes in exchange for a £5 off voucher. (H&M, 2018) The clothes are either reused and turned into other products, re-worn as second hand clothes or transformed into textile fibres, some of which are used to create their Conscious Collection. This is a collection made up of recycled materials and sustainable fabrics including TENCEL™, recycled polyester, organic linen, ECONYL® and recycled silver. (H&M, 2018) Primark have also launched their “first sustainable cotton products”, used for women’s nightwear, that utilises cotton bought straight from female farmers who are taking part in its “Sustainable Cotton Programme”, also launched in 2013. (Marie Claire, 2018)

The Unilever study also highlighted how profitable it can be for brands to understand and react to consumer demands. It showed that over one in five stated that they would intentionally select brands that communicated in a more transparent manner about their sustainability attempts on packaging and within their marketing and promotions. (Unilever, 2017) As a result the study indicated that this constitutes a highly likely unexplored opportunity of “€966 billion out of a €2.5 trillion total market for sustainable goods” within the overall retail market.

In the UK, the study indicated that 53% of consumers stated they feel better when purchasing sustainable products (Unilever, 2018), further highlighting the importance for brands to respond to these demands and follow a more sustainable approach.