Course Name: Sustainable Product Development

Title of the Paper: - Sustainable Fashion Consumption:

Advocating Philanthropic and Economic Motives in Clothing Disposal
Behavior.

By: -
Name ID NO
1. Misganaw Engdasew BDU 1501565

1st year MSc in Fashion Technology

Ethiopian Institute of Textile and Fashion Technology

Bahir Dar University

Bahir Dar
Ethiopia

Submitted to: - Shalemu Sharew, (PHD.)

Summation Date: - April 2023 G.C
Abstract
The abstract of the paper clearly describes that fast fashion market is becoming popular,
escalating and aggravating the throwaway culture phenomenon. Thus, to understand the factors
that influence sustainable fashion consumption and the clothing disposal pattern among young
consumers in developing countries. The main findings of this research indicate that personal
norms, social norms and environmental awareness were the key influencing factors of
sustainable fashion consumption. Consequently, sustainable fashion consumption exhibited a
positive and significant relationship towards philanthropic and economic reasons for clothing
disposal behavior.

The study will assist practitioners, green manufacturers, business owners and policy makers in
giving a clearer picture of what motivates sustainable fashion consumption and the clothing
disposal behavior of today’s young adults.

Keywords:-
Sustainable fashion consumption; personal norms; social norms; environmental Awareness;
philanthropic disposal behavior; economic disposal behavior.

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 Table of Contents
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................i
1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................................1
2. Problem addressed............................................................................................................................2
3. Objective............................................................................................................................................3
4. Methodology.......................................................................................................................................3
5. Finding................................................................................................................................................3
6. Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................4
7. Limitation of the Study.....................................................................................................................4
8. Reference............................................................................................................................................5

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 1. Introduction
As mentioned in the introduction fashion industry is ever-changing, with new retailers launching
new collections at affordable prices and increasing profit margins every few weeks. Fast fashion
is defined as a strategic concept to capitalize on rapid inventory turnover through the
implementation of a short renewal cycle and limited supply. The advancement in technology has
fueled fast fashion in ways that allows for rapid production and frequent turnover in an
affordable fashion, in which the shelf life of the clothing can only last for a few weeks. This
rapidly expanding fast fashion trend has resulted in excess clothing consumption, particularly
among young consumers(Hassan, Yeap and Al-Kumaim, 2022).
The fast fashion trend has escalated and aggravated the throwaway culture phenomenon. The
result of other research the fashion sector is responsible for around 10 percent of global carbon
emissions and nearly 20 percent of waste water (Dolzhenko and Churakova, 2022). resulting in a
significant increase in the industry’s negative impacts. The negative environmental impacts of
the fashion industry have raised serious concerns regarding the ethical, social and environmental
aspects of irresponsible disposing practices. Despite growing environmental pressure on the
fashion industry, the so-called ‘fashion paradox’ implies that the business is inherently resistant
to sustainability since it must evolve to fulfil consumers’ desires for the most exclusive fashion.
Implicit in the fashion paradox is the contradiction between fashion imperative in style with
constant changes versus sustainability and responsibility. Sustainability is a significant issue for
the fashion industry due to the greater environmental impact during the production and
processing phases of the clothing life cycle.
The main focus sustainable fashion can be understood as environmentally and socially
responsible fashion products consumption. Sustainable consumption encompasses many aspects,
from the production process to the consumption process in the clothing supply chain. As time
passes, implementing a sustainable consumption strategy in the fashion industry becomes
incredibly challenging, especially in clothing post-purchase(Saniuk, Grabowska and Fahlevi,
2023). Post-purchase clothing care and maintenance always have a harmful effect on the
environment, and little is known about consumer post-purchase behaviors surrounding apparel
hoarding and disposal. The production process may Impact clothing sustainability during the
usage and disposal stages. Understanding clothing disposal behavior is vital because of the long-
term environmental impact caused by clothing waste.
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 2. Problem addressed
This study has given a more profound understanding of the sustainable consumption stage,
including knowledge about the factors that impact sustainable fashion consumption and insight
into how young consumers dispose of unwanted clothing. This knowledge is relevant to
practitioners, policy makers, and government officials since it is the key to effective
implementation of strategies related to sustainable consumption. Imposing pro-environmental
practices can increase customer awareness of their environmental responsibility, particularly
young consumers. Creating a variety of environmental awareness campaigns and recycling
facilities can promote a high percentage of clothing recycling among the young adults in the
community. Understanding the most effective clothing disposal alternatives is critical for long-
term waste reduction in landfills and make identify were the key influencing factors of
sustainable fashion consumption like norms, social norms and environmental awareness.
Consequently, sustainable fashion consumption exhibited a positive and significant relationship
towards philanthropic and economic reasons for clothing disposal behavior.

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 3. Objective
The objectives of this study was three fold:- (A) To assess the factors that affect consumers’
sustainable fashion consumption (B) to inspect the relationship between sustainable fashion
consumption and clothing disposal behavior philanthropic and economic reasons of disposal
behavior), and (C) to examine the facilitating conditions as a moderating variable that may affect
the relationship between sustainable consumption and clothing disposal behavior (philanthropic
and economic reasons of disposal behavior) of young adult consumers.

4. Methodology
The target respondents in this study were young adults from 18 to 35 years old residing in
Malaysia. This group is considered fashion-conscious and frequently buys on impulse to be
trendy. Choosing a suitable sample size when using the Structural Equation Modelling is
essential because the sample size can affect the statistical test result by making it overly sensitive
to very large sample sizes or insensitive to small sample sizes. The survey form contains
approximately 40 items. Thus, the sample size should be between 200 and 400 samples. Social
media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, were used to reach the intended
respondents. The respondents were ensured regarding confidentiality concerns using the
snowballing sampling technique. Data collection methods were used for data the young adult and
appropriate measurements were carried out the motivational factors in sustainable fashion
consumption, as well as monitor the environmental implications and social sustainability of
clothing disposal behavior for fast fashion, which creates a high level of waste to be analyzed are
selected after detailed observations, questionnaire and discussions with the young adult. The
method can also help young adults to earn extra income when they resell their clothes to other
people selling and buying pre-loved, branded, fashionable items is becoming popular among
consumers.

5. Finding
The findings of this study will provide new insights for attracting different levels of innovative
consumers, which further influences their purchasing behavior and future clothing disposal
behavior. The studies revealing a substantial association between the contributing factor and
clothing disposal behavior, practitioners, and public policy makers acknowledge a disparity
between expectations and reality regarding fashion product consumption and disposal.

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 6. Conclusion
Sustainable fashion consumption among young adults impacts both philanthropic and economic
reasons for clothing disposal. Sustainable fashion consumption directly relates to philanthropic
and economic reasons for clothing disposal behavior among young adults in Malaysia. Waste
management is a significant challenge to society, government, and practitioners. The post-
purchase behaviors of young adult consumers in the fast fashion industry have mostly gone
unnoticed until recently. This research was concerned to provide an essential insight into
sustainable fashion consumption and philanthropic and economic reasons for clothing disposal
behavior among young adult consumers in Malaysia. The study outcomes indicated that
environmental knowledge, personal norms, and social norms directly affect sustainable fashion
consumption. The study has highlighted sustainable clothing disposal behavior alternatives, such
as passing clothing on to family and friends, donating it to charity, or reselling unwanted
clothing for profit to reduce the negative environmental impact.

7. Limitation of the Study

The main limitations of this study was that awareness in evaluating of sustainable consumption
and clothing disposal behavior need not to be linked to personal norms, social norms, and
environmental, the result could not be generalized worldwide due to its limited geographic reach
and the study’s sample was limited to young individuals aged 18 to 35 in Malaysia and mainly
looked at variables linked to personal norms, social norms, and environmental awareness in
evaluating sustainable consumption and clothing disposal behavior. This research must broaden
its scope to incorporate other factors affecting the research outcome. Moreover, the prospective
study could employ different advanced modelling approaches in addition to structural equation
modelling using partial least squares.

Reviewed Article

Hassan, S.H., Yeap, J.A. and Al-Kumaim, N.H., 2022. Sustainable Fashion Consumption:
Advocating Philanthropic and Economic Motives in Clothing Disposal
Behaviour.Sustainability, 14(3), p.1875.

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 8. Reference
Dolzhenko, I.B. and Churakova, A.A. (2022) ‘Environmental Responsibility of Fashion Industry
Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in the Context of Industry 4.0’, in Industry 4.0: Fighting
Climate Change in the Economy of the Future. Springer, pp. 79–89.
Hassan, S.H., Yeap, J.A.L. and Al-Kumaim, N.H. (2022) ‘Sustainable Fashion Consumption:
Advocating Philanthropic and Economic Motives in Clothing Disposal Behaviour. Sustainability
2022, 14, 1875’. s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published ….
Saniuk, S., Grabowska, S. and Fahlevi, M. (2023) ‘Personalization of Products and Sustainable
Production and Consumption in the Context of Industry 5.0’, in Industry 5.0: Creative and
Innovative Organizations. Springer, pp. 55–70.

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