An empirical study identifying Fair Trade consumer attributes of compassion and sustainability awareness

Abstract

While growing awareness, concern and expectation among stakeholders for companies to implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies exists, the fashion industry's global supply chains and product lifecycles are unsustainable. Fair Trade apparel bridges that gap. The Fair Trade and CSR literature supports the idea that fair trade consumers should possess the attributes of (a) compassion for oneself, others and the environment (COOE) and (b) desire for sustainability awareness (DSA). In this study, we contribute to the literature by developing two new scales to measure these unique qualities. Online surveys were distributed to 1,197 individuals and 258 respondents make up the sample. An Exploratory Factor Analysis, using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax Rotation was administered on all items, which made up both scales to determine discriminant validity. Scholars and practitioners can use both new scales to holistically analyse and identify the attributes that motivate consumers to purchase Fair Trade apparel.