IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2022i1p656-d1020196.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Apparel Consumer Behavior and Circular Economy: Towards a Decision-Tree Framework for Mindful Clothing Consumption

Author

Listed:
  • Sarif Patwary

    (Kontoor Brands, Inc., 1250 Revolution Mills Dr Ste 300, Greensboro, NC 27405, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Md Ariful Haque

    (School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Jehad A. Kharraz

    (School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Noman Khalid Khanzada

    (School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Muhammad Usman Farid

    (School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Nallapaneni Manoj Kumar

    (School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
    Center for Product Life Extension, HICCER—Hariterde International Council of Circular Economy Research, Palakkad 678631, Kerala, India
    Center for Resource Recovery, HICCER—Hariterde International Council of Circular Economy Research, Palakkad 678631, Kerala, India
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

The apparel consumer, one of the vital stakeholders in the apparel supply chain, has a significant role to play in moving the clothing industry in a sustainable direction. From purchasing and care practice to donation and disposal, every step of their decisions impacts the environment. Various internal and external variables influence those decisions, including culture, customs, values, beliefs, norms, assumptions, economy, gender, education and others. Therefore, we believe having a scientific understanding is very important, because consumers need to be aware of what makes eco-conscious apparel behavior; only then will the circular transition be eased. However, the key concern is whether the apparel consumers are aware of this knowledge or not. Therefore, we formulated a prospective study from a life cycle thinking point of view with a key focus on synthesizing apparel consumer behavior concerning clothing acquisition, maintenance and disposal through the circular economy lens. Hence, a circular economy lens framework is proposed, followed by three research questions’ (RQ) formulation: RQ1. What is the current norm of clothing acquisition, maintenance and disposal behavior?; RQ2. Is apparel consumer clothing acquisition, maintenance and disposal behavior circular-driven?; RQ3. What is the sustainable way of clothing acquisition, maintenance and disposal? These questions are followed by circular economy lens framework development for apparel consumers. Second, following the research questions, state-of-the-art literature-driven decisions were gathered to form constructive consumer-centric decisions over the apparel lifecycle. Third, building on this synthesis, a critical discussion is offered, following the decision-tree approach to inform relevant behavioral guidelines for consumers and other stakeholders in the apparel supply chain. Overall, our findings on apparel consumer behavior through the circular economy lens could serve as new guidelines for consumers to exercise mindful clothing consumption behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarif Patwary & Md Ariful Haque & Jehad A. Kharraz & Noman Khalid Khanzada & Muhammad Usman Farid & Nallapaneni Manoj Kumar, 2022. "Apparel Consumer Behavior and Circular Economy: Towards a Decision-Tree Framework for Mindful Clothing Consumption," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:656-:d:1020196
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/656/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/656/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Woolridge, Anne C. & Ward, Garth D. & Phillips, Paul S. & Collins, Michael & Gandy, Simon, 2006. "Life cycle assessment for reuse/recycling of donated waste textiles compared to use of virgin material: An UK energy saving perspective," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 94-103.
    2. Niklas Egels-Zandén & Niklas Hansson, 2016. "Supply Chain Transparency as a Consumer or Corporate Tool: The Case of Nudie Jeans Co," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 377-395, December.
    3. Antonis A. Zorpas & Maria K. Doula & Mejdi Jeguirim, 2021. "Waste Strategies Development in the Framework of Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-5, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Eleanor Kohler & Emmanuel Mogaji & İsmail Erkan, 2023. "Save the Trip to the Store: Sustainable Shopping, Electronic Word of Mouth on Instagram and the Impact on Cosmetic Purchase Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-18, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Robertson, Raymond, 2019. "Working Conditions, Transparency, and Compliance in Global Value Chains: Evidence from Better Work Jordan," IZA Discussion Papers 12794, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Manda, B. M. Krishna & Worrell, Ernst & Patel, Martin K., 2015. "Prospective life cycle assessment of an antibacterial T-shirt and supporting business decisions to create value," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 47-57.
    3. Yaolin Wang & Chenyang Liu & Xi Zhang & Shaoting Zeng, 2023. "Research on Sustainable Furniture Design Based on Waste Textiles Recycling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Sarosh Kuruvilla & Chunyun Li, 2021. "Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining in Global Supply Chains: A Research Agenda," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 57(2), pages 43-57, April.
    5. Marinos Stylianou & Iliana Papamichael & Irene Voukkali & Michail Tsangas & Michalis Omirou & Ioannis M. Ioannides & Antonis A. Zorpas, 2023. "LCA of Barley Production: A Case Study from Cyprus," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-16, January.
    6. Naemi Schäfer, 2023. "Making transparency transparent: a systematic literature review to define and frame supply chain transparency in the context of sustainability," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(2), pages 579-604, June.
    7. Khosroshahi, Hossein & Dimitrov, Stanko & Hejazi, Seyed Reza, 2021. "Pricing, greening, and transparency decisions considering the impact of government subsidies and CSR behavior in supply chain decisions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    8. Irena Wojnowska-Baryła & Katarzyna Bernat & Magdalena Zaborowska & Dorota Kulikowska, 2024. "The Growing Problem of Textile Waste Generation—The Current State of Textile Waste Management," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-12, March.
    9. Dissanayake, Geetha & Sinha, Pammi, 2015. "An examination of the product development process for fashion remanufacturing," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 94-102.
    10. Esteve-Turrillas, F.A. & de la Guardia, M., 2017. "Environmental impact of Recover cotton in textile industry," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 107-115.
    11. Beata Piotrowska & Daniel Słyś, 2022. "Comprehensive Analysis of the State of Technology in the Field of Waste Heat Recovery from Grey Water," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-20, December.
    12. Baydar, G. & Ciliz, N. & Mammadov, A., 2015. "Life cycle assessment of cotton textile products in Turkey," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA), pages 213-223.
    13. Israt Jahan & Guomin Zhang & Muhammed Bhuiyan & Satheeskumar Navaratnam & Long Shi, 2022. "Experts’ Perceptions of the Management and Minimisation of Waste in the Australian Construction Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-20, September.
    14. Simon L. Bager & Eric F. Lambin, 2020. "Sustainability strategies by companies in the global coffee sector," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3555-3570, December.
    15. Mohammed Sakib Uddin & Khaled Mahmud & Bijoy Mitra & Al-Ekram Elahee Hridoy & Syed Masiur Rahman & Md Shafiullah & Md. Shafiul Alam & Md. Ismail Hossain & Mohammad Sujauddin, 2023. "Coupling Nexus and Circular Economy to Decouple Carbon Emissions from Economic Growth," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-21, January.
    16. Muhammad Azizul Islam & Chris J. Van Staden, 2022. "Modern Slavery Disclosure Regulation and Global Supply Chains: Insights from Stakeholder Narratives on the UK Modern Slavery Act," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(2), pages 455-479, October.
    17. Caterina Hauschild & Angelica Coll, 2023. "The Influence of Technologies in Increasing Transparency in Textile Supply Chains," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-17, August.
    18. Raymond Robertson, 2020. "Lights On: How Transparency Increases Compliance in Cambodian Global Value Chains," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(4), pages 939-968, August.
    19. Mutu Tantrige Osada Vishvajith Peiris & Gileemalege Lalithri Navodya Dayarathne, 2023. "Application of Life Cycle Framework for Municipal Solid Waste Management: a Circular Economy Perspective from Developing Countries," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    20. Tsiliyannis, Christos Aristeides, 2015. "Sustainability by cyclic manufacturing: Assessment of resource preservation under uncertain growth and returns," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 155-170.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:656-:d:1020196. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.