Country Differences in Determinants of Behavioral Intention towards Sustainable Apparel Products

Hye Jung Jung,Haejung Maria Kim,Kyung Wha Oh

doi:10.3390/su13020558

Abstract

Increased demands for sustainable apparel products require research to understand better how to encourage sustainable buying behavior effectively, especially in the understudied areas of cross-cultural research. This study, which includes respondents from the UK, US, and China (total n = 711) who completed an online survey, explores determinants of behavioral intention toward sustainable apparel products (SAP). This paper contributes to examine both consumer characteristics (shopping values, consciousness of sustainability, perceived consumer effectiveness, and environmental knowledge) and marketing perspective (evaluation criteria of SAP) determinants for encouraging sustainable apparel consumption behaviors. Significant country differences also emerged, indicating the positive impact on behavioral intention to sustainable apparel products across three countries. Results of structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated there were differences and similarities in the effect of consumers’ characteristic factors and marketing perspective factors on SAP behavioral intention among three countries. The results validate that differentiated marketing strategies in the sustainable apparel industry are required when targeting global consumers to boost sustainable apparel consumption and successfully help to remedy the crisis facing our planet and further generation.

Highlights

A rapid increase in consumption has altered everyday consumption behavior and resource use, habitually affecting undesirably environmental footprint [1]
The main aims of this study are to explore whether factors of consumer perspectives and marketing perspectives have effects on behavioral intention toward sustainable apparel products and moderating effects of country differences in this structural model
The main aims of this study are to explore whether factors of consumer perspectives marketing perspectives have effects on behavioral intention toward sustainable apSustainability 2021,and

Summary

Introduction

A rapid increase in consumption has altered everyday consumption behavior and resource use, habitually affecting undesirably environmental footprint [1]. The textiles and apparel (T&A) industry has been presumed to cause nearly 10% of global carbon emission and production and is one of the most polluting industries in the world [2,3]. Apparel and textiles currently play a crucial role in the global public discussion on climate changes, chemical polity, water scarcity, human rights, and animal welfare. The rise of sustainable consumption has emerged as consciousness and experience on the role of consumers of the importance of sustainable assertions has become more prevalent, and demand for sustainable products including the apparel and textile sector has increased [4,5,6,7]. Many of the challenges concern several common societal and personal methods and the role of various and often conflicting values associated with apparel consumption

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