Psychologically Informed CSR: A Conceptual Framework for Promoting Sustainable Consumer Behaviour in the Fashion Industry

The fashion industry significantly contributes to global environmental degradation driven by fast fashion, high-resource production methods, and consumption practices that can not be sustained. Despite growing awareness of these impacts, a persistent gap remains between consumers’ pro-environmental attitudes and their actual behaviour. This conceptual paper asks: How can corporate social responsibility (CSR), when informed by psychological theories of consumer behaviour, be strategically integrated to promote responsible consumption in the fashion sector? The current study addresses this question by synthesizing insights from environmental psychology, specifically the theories of Value-Belief-Norm (VBN), Cognitive Dissonance, and Reasoned Action, and examines how cognitive, emotional, and socio-cultural factors shape consumer responses to CSR initiatives. It critically explores the psychological barriers that hinder sustainable fashion choices and identifies the mechanisms through which CSR can activate behavioural change. The paper further proposes a conceptual framework linking corporate responsibility with political consumerism, emotional engagement, and cultural resonance to drive circular economy transitions. By bridging CSR strategy with behavioural science, this study contributes a novel theoretical lens for understanding and influencing sustainable consumer behaviour in high-impact sectors. The findings have implications for corporate practice, environmental policy, and the evolving discourse in environmental psychology on fostering collective pro-environmental action.