Factors affecting consumers’ perceptions and behaviors toward apparel products made of recycled materials

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how product- and consumer-related factors influence young consumers’ attitudes, perceptions and purchase intentions regarding recycled apparel.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was distributed to college students at two public universities through Qualtrics. The experiment is a 2 (Eco-consciousness: low vs high) × 2 (brand familiarity: well-known vs unknown) × 2 (product type: low-performance vs high-performance apparel) fractional factorial design.FindingsThis study suggests that recycled apparel products are viewed more favorably by eco-conscious consumers, who place greater value on them and have stronger purchase intentions. Brand familiarity can increase consumers’ perceptions of value and reduce their perceptions of risk associated with recycled apparel products. Results also revealed a significant three-way interaction between eco-consciousness and brand familiarity for purchase intention.Originality/valueThis study integrates both product- and consumer-related factors and represents an early empirical effort to jointly examine brand familiarity, product type and eco-consciousness in the context of recycled apparel. Building on a systematic mapping of related studies, the research addresses a clear gap in the literature and provides a structured framework for understanding consumers’ attitudes and perceptions of risk, value and purchase intentions for apparel made from recycled materials.