Awareness of the Environmental Impact of Clothing Production and Consumption among Slovenian Women Customers

Abstract

The textile industry, where clothing industry has an important share, is one of the most polluting industries in the world, wherefore clothing consumption has a significant impact on the environment. The consumption of clothing has been increasing quickly along with the growth of the middle classes in developing nations and the fast-fashion business model. At the same time, consumers are becoming more and more aware of the importance of sustainability, and they have been changing their consumer behaviour accordingly. In this study, we focused our attention on awareness of the environmental impact of clothing production and consumption from the point of view of consumer knowledge, linked to different generations, marital statuses, living environments, family income and type of purchasing store. The study reveals a high-level consumer-evaluated knowledge regarding the effects of clothing production and consumption, but also still the purchasing preference in fast fashion stores.