'Shopping trends among global fashion consumers set to move sharply towards sustainable practices'

In a new report, How Brands Can Embrace the Sustainable Fashion Opportunity, Bain and WWF find that currently some 15 per cent of global fashion consumers are already “highly concerned” about sustainability

and consistently make purchasing decisions to lower their impact.

However, the report concludes that this percentage is likely to increase sharply, to more than half of fashion consumers, as more shoppers gravitate toward sustainable practices.

The report, which examines consumer behaviours related to sustainability and fashion, concluded that, of the nearly 5,900 fashion consumers across China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US that Bain surveyed, around 65 per cent said they cared about the environment.

Claudia D’Arpizio, a Bain & Company senior partner and the firm’s global head of Fashion & Luxury, said: “Sustainable shopping is an inevitable change. Concern for sustainability is strong among the younger generations and growing overall.

"Fashion brands need to embrace the sustainability conversation and make sustainable purchasing easier for all consumers.

"Brands that proactively design sustainability into their strategy and operations will cement their relevance and capture a windfall of unmet demand, now and into the future.”

"In fact, everyone will benefit from a commitment to sustainability from the fashion industry.”

The report also examines obstacles that consumers face if they wish to purchase sustainably.

It found that assortments are often limited, and it can be difficult to distinguish between sustainable and non-sustainable items, a challenge which increases with age.

The report concluded that these barriers were consistent among every generation of fashion consumer. Younger consumers said that higher prices were also a deterrent.”

Federica Levato, EMEA Leader of Fashion and Luxury at Bain, said: “Fashion brands are on the cusp of a great opportunity but are often overwhelmed by complexity, especially along lengthy supply chains. “Brands have a social role in this epoch-making change: they are

called to address the information gap, engage consumers on product durability and impact; and make sustainable purchases more convenient and appealing.

"This will make them successful, while help shifting consumers toward more sustainable consumption.”

Payal Luthra, the Global Apparel and Textiles Lead at WWF, added: “The time is now for brands to take action on sustainability, they will not only benefit from enhanced resilience but will have incredible opportunity to build brand loyalty with increasingly conscious consumers.”