A new study conducted by WEFT and QSA Partners with support from the Back to Baselines programme at the University of Leeds, has uncovered that almost three-quarters (over 70 per cent) of UK consumers would agree to a visible US $ 0.64 charge on clothing purchases to support textile recycling infrastructure.
In circumstances where an environmental purpose was provided to support or reaffirm a charge, still, 70 per cent of consumers agreed with the charge as stated in a general description, and even a US $ 1.28 charge on clothing that costs over US $ 51 was considered acceptable (as agreed by around 70 per cent of all types of consumers surveyed across all income sections).
This research also explored language and labelling. When describing the proposed charge, participants preferred the word “charge” over “fee”. Participants were also supportive of traffic-light style labels showing environmental impact, with 60 per cent strongly agreeing on the environmental language as an improvement on how it could be presented among consumers.
The estimate from the research states that this suggested charge could create a possible (US $ 2.56 billion – US $ 5.12 billion) for recycling systems and infrastructure, based on the UK expenditure of 4 billion clothing purchases per year. Some participants even supported potential charges for US $ 6.75 per clothing item.
“Transparency is key,” Kristina Bull, co-founder of WEFT, said it. “Consumers want clear and visible information to make informed sustainable choices.”
Despite sustainability still falling behind price and fit in consumer purchasing decision-making process, designing clear labelling increased consumers’ willingness to choose sustainable alternatives significantly. WEFT is calling for policy makers to create colour coded labelling systems and work with trusted organisations to help consumers navigate a more circular fashion economy.
Source: https://apparelresources.com/