Attitude-behavior gap

According to The State of Fashion 2020, consumers are increasingly becoming aware of fashion’s negative impact on the planet (Business of Fashion & McKinsey & Company, (n.d.), p. 52). This can potentially be translated into more sustainable consumption behavior in regard to fashion. The following section will examine this through the use of the survey conducted for this thesis, where the respondents’ approaches will be analyzed to acquire knowledge of consumers’ attitudes towards sustainability.

Sustainability in the fashion industry can be related to the concept of ethical consumption, which can be used to describe consumers who consciously recognize that private consumption can have the power to provide social change (Zollo, Yoon, Rialti & Ciappei, 2018, p. 693). In terms of ethical consumption, it can be argued that there exists an attitude-behavior gap, which implies that consumers might have ethical intentions and attitudes without acting upon them when making purchases (Sudbury-Riley & Kohlbacher, 2016, p. 269). Different factors can lead to this gap, for instance price and perceived availability. In terms of price, consumers can possess a willingness to purchase what they believe to be ethically but be economically constrained to actually buy it (Shaw, McMaster &

Newholm, 2016, p. 253). Perceived availability concerns how consumers can attach a low perceived availability to ethical products and from that end up not buying them. Hence, low availability can counteract consumer’s positive attitudes of ethical consumption (Sudbury-Riley & Kohlbacher, 2016, p. 269).

In the survey conducted for this thesis almost 80 percent of respondents expressed that sustainability in general is important or very important to them (Appendix 8, Q5). In regard to how this affects their purchasing behavior, nearly 50 percent evaluated that sustainability affects their purchasing behavior often or always. Almost 40 percent places the influence of sustainability on their purchases in the middle of the scale, which can be categorized as sometimes (Appendix 8, Q6). So, even though almost 80 percent find it important or very important, it can be argued that a group of the respondents do not act to the same extent on this strong attitude. From this, an attitude-behavior gap in terms of the respondents’ general approaches towards sustainability can be identified.

39 The question remains, is the attitude-behavior gap also present in regard to consumers’ attitudes and behaviors towards sustainable clothing consumption? According to The State of Fashion 2020, despite increasing awareness of the impacts of fashion, consumers do not always purchase in accordance with their attitudes (Business of Fashion & McKinsey & Company, n.d., p. 54). The Outlook Report by Mistra Future Fashion also confirms this gap between an intention to act and consume in a more sustainable manner and then failing to follow through on this intention (Mistra Future Fashion, 2019, p. 17). In the survey conducted for this thesis several results can be interpreted in relation to the respondents’ attitudes and behaviors towards sustainable fashion consumption.

40 One survey question that reflects the consumers’ attitudes is Q11, which concerns whether they find it important that fashion companies do the following: provide respectful and secure working conditions, use fabrics that require the least water, energy, and chemicals as possible, and strive to reduce waste in all of their processes. To all three statements more than 90 percent of respondents answered ‘yes’ (Appendix 8, Q11). This shows that the vast majority find the above aspects of sustainability within fashion companies’ production important. In the results of the question that followed, the respondents confirm this attitude in relation to how important sustainability in fashion is to them. More than 85 percent of respondents expressed that they find it either of middle importance, important or very important (Appendix 8, Q12). Nevertheless, in contrast to their general view of the importance of sustainability, the respondents find sustainability in relation to fashion less important, as nearly 30 percent answered that sustainability in general is very important to them, whereas 10 percent answered that sustainability in relation to fashion is very important to them (Appendix 8, Q5 & Q12).

The respondents were asked to assess to what degree sustainability affected their purchases in regard to fashion. Almost 65 percent of the respondents answered that it affects their clothing purchases to the extent of being sometimes, often or always (Appendix 8, Q13). Hence, an attitude-behavior gap can be identified in the survey, as more than 85 percent of respondents find sustainability middle important, important or very important (Appendix 8, Q12). The gap appears as more respondents are saying that it is important opposed to respondents who indicate to act upon it. From the visuals in Q12 and Q13 it is evident that a group of respondents has moved towards ‘never’ in regard to their purchases, despite the large amount of positive attitudes towards sustainability in relation to fashion (Appendix 8, Q12 & Q13). Conclusively, the survey of this thesis also indicates that there is a gap between consumers’ attitudes and behaviors when they purchase clothing.

41 5.1.1.2. Causal connection to the gap

The two aforementioned factors, perceived availability and price, that can lead to a gap, were expressed within the survey and focus groups conducted for this thesis. For instance, in the first focus group availability was mentioned in terms of what could possibly make the participants purchase more sustainable clothes in the future (Appendix 6, l. 231-233). Also, in the survey, availability is the third most mentioned response to the question: “What could make you purchase more sustainable clothes?” (Appendix 8, Q19). The most mentioned response includes price in the sense of making sustainable clothes cheaper and more comparative to the prices of conventional clothes (Appendix 8, Q19). Sustainable options are generally priced higher than conventional, which makes consumers choose conventional clothes over sustainable clothes (Šajn, 2019, p. 7). Furthermore, the second most mentioned response to the question adds another view, as it concerns a lack of information and knowledge about what sustainability means in relation to the fashion industry (Appendix 8, Q19).

Hence, current conditions in these areas could be part of the explanation to why there is an attitude-behavior gap. Likewise, improvements in these areas might help the fashion industry decrease the gap.

Within the aspect of knowledge, nearly 70 percent of respondents in the survey said ‘yes’ when asked if they want to increase their knowledge about sustainability in terms of fashion (Appendix 8, Q15).

Additionally, the majority leans towards the side of ‘non-existent’ when asked to assess their knowledge (Appendix 8, Q14). This prevailing lack of knowledge might also explain part of the gap.

If consumers do not know what sustainability means in relation to fashion, then it is difficult for them to form a strong attitude about it and be persistent in their purchases. Shaw et al. (2015) state that

42 deficiencies in information and knowledge can be a barrier for consumers to enact their intentions (p.

252). Furthermore, strong attitudes are more likely to predict behavior (Jansson-Boyd, 2019, p.99).

Hence, it can be argued that the respondents’ attitudes are not as strong as they think, as there exists a weak link between their attitudes and their behaviors. This attitude and their lack of knowledge about what sustainability in relation to fashion means could also explain why the respondents do not feel as strongly about sustainability in fashion as they do about sustainability in general. However, besides the indication that the respondents want to know more, over 80 percent stated that they would like to become more sustainable as consumers of clothing (Appendix 8, Q18). This demonstrates a strong willingness from the respondents to purchase more sustainably in the future. This willingness from consumers can also be reflected through increased awareness of sustainability in relation to fashion. An example of this can be seen in internet searches for ‘sustainable fashion’, which tripled between 2016 and 2019 (Business of Fashion & McKinsey & Company, n.d., p. 53).

Apart from the lack of knowledge, the gap can also stem from a lack of tools available to the consumers, which makes it challenging for them to identify brands that are more sustainable (Business of Fashion & McKinsey & Company, n.d., p. 53). This issue can be related to that of availability. Even if sustainable brands are available, consumers have difficulties finding them and perhaps an issue can also be related to trusting that the brands that say they are sustainable in fact are sustainable. A participant from one of the focus groups touched upon this, by expressing a concern in regard to being able to trust companies’ statements about sustainability and finds the word of sustainability to be overused by companies (Appendix 6, l. 47-49). In that regard, the concept of greenwashing can be related. Greenwashing is a term used to describe when a company or an organization communicates about its corporate social responsibilities in an exaggerated way and thereby does not comply with its actual initiatives or achievements (Cornelissen, 2017, p. 282). This exaggeration can both be in terms of environmental and social aspects, and the company can choose to exaggerate these initiatives in order to frame itself and be perceived more positively by its stakeholders. However, doing that, the company will risk achieving the opposite effect and be perceived in a more negative way, if its communication does not comply with its actions (Cornelissen, 2017, p. 259). Nevertheless, from the focus groups some participants stated that they always trust what brands communicate about sustainability and therefore do not question the credibility of it (Appendix 6, l. 132-134 & 287-289; Appendix 7, l. 288-291). Hence, in relation to the attitude-behavior gap, the lack of credibility in sustainability statements might cause some consumers to view

43 sustainable products as less available. These consumers might need additional proof or information in order to translate their attitudes into actions.

Within the following paragraphs, theory of consumer behavior will be used to dive deeper into consumers’ ethical decision making process and inner motivations. This can help clarify potential reasons for the identified attitude-behavior. Additionally, knowledge of consumer behavior can contribute to a fashion company’s ability to understand and better meet the needs of its customers.