What:  Première Vision and Institut Francais de la Mode conducted a survey on 5,000 respondents in the French, British, Italian, and American markets regarding sustainable fashion.

Why it is important: The survey revealed that the second-hand market is becoming a preferred entry point for sustainable consumption and improved consumer information would lead to increased purchases of sustainable products.

The perception of the fashion industry’s environmental commitments has improved. 64.3% of French respondents believe that fashion upholds environmental criteria as rigorously as other industries while 67.8% of Germans, 74.7% of Italians, and 81.5% of Britons share the same sentiment.

Despite inflation, consumers are allocating a quarter of their budget to sustainable fashion and each nationality has shown an increase in spending on sustainable fashion despite fashion sales not having returned to pre-crisis levels.

The study found that there is still a gap between consumer behaviours across various sectors. While 44.9% of French respondents purchased eco-responsible clothing last year, 68% of women bought organic food, and 63% purchased organic cosmetics. In the United Kingdom and Italy, the corresponding percentages were 42% and 54.4% respectively.

Sustainable fashion is also becoming more fashionable, with 9 out of 10 respondents stating that sustainable products are now considered "fashionable"

Addressing consumer information gaps is crucial, in France, non-buyers of sustainable fashion cited lack of information as the primary reason; today, that number has decreased from 50.4% to 33%. In the US and Germany, the percentage of consumers who feel well-informed has doubled, reaching 36% in Germany and 57% in the States.

Consumer behaviour and purchasing patterns are shifting as customers prioritise material quality as they aim to buy less and invest in long-lasting garments. There is also an increasing desire to repair or have garments repaired.

The survey also highlights the sustained popularity of the secondhand market, with half of the women and one-third of the men who participated in the survey purchasing pre-owned garments within the past year. Price remains the primary motivation across all five countries however, the conscious desire for responsible consumption is increasing.

The rise of sustainable fashion: a shift in western consumer behavior