Fashion Fix: A Third Of The US Is Concerned About Sustainable Fashion, But Price Is Still Important

Opinium’s recent Fashion Fix study, which explores US consumers’ view on the current impact of the fashion industry, reveals that a third (31%) of Americans are concerned about fashion and sustainability, with younger Americans being the most concerned. Only one in five (20%) Americans ages 18-34 do not think about sustainable fashion, compared to 27% of Americans ages 35-54 and 42% ages 55+. However, only a small number are taking action to change their shopping habits and are instead looking to fashion brands to act on driving sustainable fashion practices.

Two thirds of US consumers (66%) expressed that they are concerned about the environment nowadays, and when it comes to which industries US adults believe to have the least sustainable practices, travel (37%) and fashion (27%) are the two most negatively perceived categories. Despite this, when asked about the most important factors when purchasing a fashion item, only 11% consider environmental impact, with price (68%) being the top-rated factor.

On top of that, over a third (36%) of consumers have never thought to look for ways or advice on how to shop for fashion items more sustainably. Furthermore, when asked how much they know about sustainable fashion, two in five (42%) said that they don't know much about it.

When thinking about where the responsibility for driving sustainable practices lies, many consumers believe fashion brands could be doing more. Two in five (37%) would like to see brands be more transparent about their environmental impact and a further two fifths (37%) would like fashion brands to set sustainability targets. A third (32%) would like to see brands include more information about the working conditions of garment workers, and over a quarter (28%) would like more information on labels detailing how the clothes were made.

Giulia Prati, Vice President of Research US at Opinium comments: “It’s a real positive that the environment and fashion sustainability is something that US consumers say they are concerned about, but there is evidently still some way to go in getting people to engage with the topic and change their behaviors. Of course, price plays a big role in people’s decision-making when purchasing anything, and the appeal of inexpensive ‘fast fashion’ is understandable, but with the widely reported damaging environmental impact of this type of fashion, consumers should, where possible, consider making more sustainable choices.

“Retailers and brands are expected to take the responsibility for encouraging more sustainable shopping behaviors, but clearly consumers will need to adapt their shopping habits too.”

Two thirds of US adults (66%) are concerned about the environment – but only 11% consider environmental impact a key purchase driver when it comes to fashion
Two thirds (68%) make fashion purchases based on price
Consumers would like to see fashion brands be more transparent about their environmental impact (37%) and would like to see them set sustainability targets (37%)