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Cotton, Consumer Clothing Disposal Habits & Biodegradability
Over the years there has been research and studies done on various groups of fashion consumers to find out how they dispose of their clothing. The challenge with the information previously collected is, the personal views and knowledge on the fashion industry from consumers is missing. There is a lack of research on the way consumers feel about their clothing and the way they feel about how they dispose of their clothing (Lynes, Weber and Young, 2016). There is also lack of research on what consumers would do in terms of their clothing if they were given the knowledge and the option to make a change (Birtwistle and Morgan, 2009). Our studies show that consumers do not know as much as we think they do, and the fashion industry is doing a poor job of spreading awareness to its consumers. Fashion consumers agree that if they had more knowledge and more options then they would start to make a change which means business would have to follow, creating a trickle effect to a more sustainable supply chain (Birtwistle and Morgan, 2009). Our goal is to fill the gap on consumer knowledge and awareness by providing different ways to connect to consumers and spread awareness on important information throughout the fashion industry.
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Cotton, Consumer Clothing Disposal Habits & Biodegradability
The research conducted throughout our project addressed where consumers decide to dispose of their clothing after they no longer need them and what elements influence consumers approach. The conducted an expanded literature review into deep explorations and conducted a content analysis of comments relevant to our topic and a research survey through Kent State Qualtrics that was distributed to classmates, friends, family, and peers via email. The results were then analyzed. The goal of the research in its entirety was to prove that there is a need for further education of consumers on the importance of proper clothing disposal in donations to create a better environment and fast fashion industry. The results obtained herein supported the primary hypothesis that proper education of clothing donations and clothing life cycles assessments are important and influential to consumers when determining purchases. According to our content analysis, social justice and durability are the greatest concerns of the fashion industry to consumers. These issues can be improved with measures taken by industry professionals, lobbyists, and government officials to provide education on the importance of consumer choices within the fashion industry, with an emphasis on clothing life cycles.
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Sustainability in Fashion
Abstract Project Assignment Gabrielle Calder Ani Ipjian Fashion Marketing Sustainability in Fashion Our project is centered around the idea of sustainability in both the high-street and luxury markets and whether or not it matters to consumers if something is sustainable. The main questions we proposed are as follows: • Do consumers prefer to shop luxury or high-street? • Does sustainability play a role in the shopping process for consumers? • Do consumers think brands need to be more sustainable? These questions helped guide our research process through surveys and content analysis. We gathered comments from multiple social media sites and analyzed those comments based on certain categories. By researching consumer’s opinions on sustainability, we were able to get a feel for what people look for when shopping. Next, we created a survey asking a series of questions to consumers of all ages and genders to understand whether or not sustainability is important to them. Much to our surprise, we discovered that most consumers do not shop sustainably nor do they think about if a brand is sustainable, but they do they that more brands should make an effort to publicize and try to be more conscious. This survey was essential to our research because we needed to see what the general opinions are on sustainability.
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From Cradle to Grave: Apparel Product Life Cylce
In this project we studied the entire life cycle of apparel from the manufacturing process, purchasing, consumer care and discarding phase of the product. We studied how these phases can cause negative effects on the environment by increasing the carbon footprint and by adding waste to landfills. We discovered that the overproduction of apparel is a leading cause in our growth of landfills and climate change. We studied how consumers of all ages and brands can make a difference in being sustainable in their production and care habits. We studied this topic by researching how much consumers are affecting the environment by washing clothes too often and by throwing them away. Studies showed as the years go on, fast fashion companies are over producing apparel in the quickest way possible leading to a larger carbon footprint and waste. We collected opinions from consumer and industry professionals’ comments on social media about sustainability and fast fashion. Then, we conducted a survey asking consumers of their purchasing and discarding habits and thoughts on sustainability. After doing background research and conducting our own studies, we found out that most clothing donated is thrown in landfills, but there are brands who are encouraging consigning and renting apparel. Half of the consumers who participated in our survey were knowledgeable about sustainability and were supportive of thrifting their unworn clothing and purchasing used clothing as well. Outside research showed that many people stray away from sustainably made apparel because of the higher price for basic styles.
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Cotton in the Athleisure Market
The use of different laundering techniques can either elongate an items lifespan or shorten it. For cotton athletic apparel, most consumers are unaware of the proper laundering techniques needed to preserve the items original look, shape, and feel. Although most consumers favor this fabric, this lack of knowledge often leads to negative reviews for a company’s cotton athleisure, which can be very damaging to their brand image, when the problem most likely arises from improper care. Unfortunately, there is very limited information regarding the best ways to launder cotton activewear, especially depending on the construction process and finishes used. We conducted research to identify what laundering issues frustrated consumers the most and whether or not they would be interested in learning the best ways to care for their garments, even if the process is unfamiliar and inconvenient. Most survey participants responded that shrinking/deformation, wrinkling, and lingering odor were their biggest concerns, and that they would be willing to use alternative methods to properly care for their garments. Consumers want to know that the clothing they invest in is going to perform the way it’s advertised, therefore will take extra steps to make this happen. Furthermore, designers and other leaders in the fashion industry must work to create stronger materials that will withstand basic laundering procedures or speak out more regarding alternative ways to properly care for cotton athleisure.
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Assessment of Branding Sustainability in the Fashion Industry
As our impact on the environment grows, sustainability has become more popular among consumers. However, while consumers call for more sustainable business practices, companies are still hesitant to implement sustainability. To understand why businesses were reluctant to transition to sustainable practices, a content analysis was conducted. A collection of eighty comments from various sources were coded into units of analysis where patterns were identified in the data. A survey was also created and distributed to further determine consumers’ opinions on what sustainability means to them and to what extent fashion businesses are achieving sustainability. The results of the content analysis and the survey confirmed that consumers care about sustainability. A majority of the comments collected in the content analysis were positive impressions about sustainability. The survey reflected the same opinions. However, the survey and content analysis also showed that consumers feel that businesses need to do more to promote sustainability within their brand, and to protect the environment. This study emphasizes on the fact that businesses need to educate themselves, and move toward sustainable business practices. The biggest reason companies have not made more progress to transition to sustainable practices, is because they believe multiple untrue statements about sustainable businesses. This study aims to teach businesses the importance of sustainability, and simple ways companies can start to make changes to their brand and methods. With this, the fashion industry as a whole can move one step closer to closing the loop.
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Consumer Perception of Cotton Sustainability
This research focuses on consumers’ perception, knowledge, preferences, and the amount of importance they place on cotton sustainability. Specifically, we developed an online survey to investigate what consumers value when making purchase decisions, consumer knowledge regarding sustainable cotton, and how accessible sustainable cotton products are for today’s consumers. We found that many of our participants were in the 18-24-year-old age range and value how their clothing is produced. This age range had the greatest knowledge regarding cotton sustainability compared to all other age ranges. 75% of the survey participants relayed that sustainable cotton is only moderately available to them when shopping. Over 50% stated that pricing strongly affects their purchase decisions. In all, our results suggest that consumers are conscious and willing to incorporate sustainability into their shopping patterns. However, price reduction and increase in availability would encourage consumers to shop even more sustainable.
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Inter-Fiber Competition and Consumer Preferences
In this research project, we studied the inter-fiber competitions between consumer preferences in the fashion industry. We focused on sustainable cotton versus synthetic fibers or a blend of both. We conducted prior research in the form of literature reviews and a content analysis with coded reviews based on consumer preferences. We coded 100 reviews based on whether they were positive or negative regarding the sustainable/fiber aspect of the product. We then used this prior exploratory research to conduct our own Qualtrics survey using the Snowball and Convenience methods where we gathered 33 survey responses that gave us a better understanding of consumer’s preferences when purchasing clothing. Our responses came from a diverse group of men and women over 18 with varying degrees of income, education, and living environments. We found that overall consumer’s perceptions of the fibers that go into their garments are clearly influenced by surrounding circumstances and overall understanding of varying factors such as price, production, material, and perceived quality. These findings are crucially important for retailers and manufactures to understand in order to maximize profit and customer satisfaction as the fashion industry continues to head in a direction of more sustainable and ethical practices.
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Cotton in the Athleisure Market
Abstract: Cotton in the Athleisure Market Grace Flanagan & Charlotte Reilly For our project we conducted a lot of research to figure out how the athleisure market affects the cotton industry. We studied how the growing athleisure market is affecting the cotton industry and all the jobs it provides to people. The cotton industry is slowly declining and there are many people trying to change this and the way the industry works. After managing our research, we conducted a survey to figure out how many people support the growth of the athleisure industry, and what their buying patterns may have consisted of. After doing all of this, we realized how much of a negative impact this market is having on the cotton industry and our eyes were opened to all of the efforts people are making to try and combat this. The main goal of our research was to fix the negative impact the athleisure market has on the cotton industry by keeping track of the profitability of athleisure brands. By doing so, we looked at customer comments online through a variety of social media platforms. After completing our extensive research and administering our online survey, we concluded that the production of cotton and the cotton industry has a more positive influence on the retail industry as a whole than we ever considered, and we must do as much as we can to repair the damage that has been done to cotton’s image in the eyes of consumers.
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Marketing Organic Cotton to Consumers
Over the past few decades there has been an increase in the awareness of sustainability and the unethical practices of many fashion companies have been exposed. Having a shift in awareness has caused an increased pressure on fashion companies to be more transparent, foster more sustainable and uphold ethical practices (Hepburn, 2013). One way brands are striving to be more sustainable is through the use of organic cotton. We know that there are a variety of ways brands can market organic clothing which can increase consumer interest and sales. The challenges consumers are facing is the lack of knowledge about organic cotton due to businesses not educating people properly. We know that a combination of organic and social responsibility certification, label utilization, and consumer education can all be helpful marketing tools to help increase consumers interest in organic cotton clothing and their desire to purchase. What we do not know is how much consumers care about organic and social responsibility certification, label utilization, and consumer education so that is the primary goal of our research. We understand that we can gain a significant amount of data on how consumers perceive organic cotton by furthering our research through conducting surveys and looking at the comments from consumers on clothing brand websites, online articles, and social media. To achieve our goal we will gain quantitative data on what topics are most important to consumers when considering and purchasing organic cotton, changes can be made to help market and brand organic cotton more effectively.
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