Sustainable fashion has become a big topic in recent years, as more and more people are becoming aware of the negative impact that the fashion industry can have on the environment and are willing to do something about it.
People are looking for ways to embrace sustainability and add it to their everyday lives – including in their choice of clothes.
While sustainable fashion is still a relatively new concept, there is a growing demand for it, and businesses that will be able to capitalize on this trend stand to make a lot of money.
But what is the target market for sustainable fashion? Who are the people that are most likely to buy eco-friendly clothes? Is it just those who care about the environment? Or are there other factors in play – like style, fashion, money and values?
In this article, we will discuss the target market for sustainable fashion and explore some of the reasons why people are drawn to it.
What is Sustainable Fashion?
Different people define sustainable fashion in different ways thought most definitions hover around the concept of making clothing in an environmentally friendly way.
For the sake of this article we define Sustainable Fashion as follows:
Sustainable Fashion refers to clothes that are made from environmentally friendly materials and produced in an environmentally responsible way.
Of course, once the clothing has been sustainably manufactured it still needs to be transported and that may or may not be environmentally friendly. So when we discuss the sustainability of clothing we restrict ourselves to the manufacturing process starting from the growing/acquisition of the raw material to the production of the finished product.
The Target Market for Sustainable Fashion: Who Buys?
While sustainable fashion is often associated with environmentalism, curiously the target market for sustainable fashion extends far beyond just “green-minded” individuals.
We can segment the target market for sustainable fashion into the following broad segments:
People who are environmentally conscious
People who want to support sustainable and ethical business practices.
People who prefer everything organic (even clothes!)
People who prefer recycled clothes
People who support fair trade practices
Let’s look closely at each of these segments.
1. People who are environmentally conscious
Those who care about the environment and want to incorporate environmentally-friendly products into all aspects of their life are the ones who are most likely to be attracted to sustainable fashion.
This target market is growing in size all the time as people become more and more aware of the negative impact that the fashion industry can have on our planet.
Lack of awareness used to be a major obstacle for this target market, but with increased media coverage and promotion of sustainable fashion, that is no longer the case.
In fact, sustainable fashion can now be considered a type of green product.
2. People who want to support sustainable and ethical business practices
These are people that are willing to pay a bit more for clothing that has been made in an environmentally-friendly way and that does not exploit workers.
They are also interested in supporting businesses that are trying to make a difference and are working towards a more sustainable future.
If such people know that certain clothes are made with fabric that has been recycled or that the workers who made them were paid a fair wage, they are much more likely to buy those clothes.
In fact, some people will go as far as buying sustainably produced cloth and then asking a tailor to make it into custom clothes. In this respect, there is an overlap between the target market for sustainable fashion and the target market for a tailoring business.
3. People who prefer everything organic (even clothes!)
There is a growing trend of people wanting to lead an organic lifestyle. And for many of these people, the term “sustainable fashion” is synonymous with “organic clothing”.
This target market is made up of people who only want to consume products that are made from organic materials that have not been treated with any harmful chemicals. An example is organic cotton, which is grown without the use of any pesticides.
An added plus for this market segment is if the organic clothing is completely biodegradable.
While this target market is smaller than the previous two, it is still sizable and growing in popularity.
Many big fashion brands are now starting to produce organic clothing lines due to increasing demand.
4. People who prefer recycled clothes
Recycled clothes are those that have been made exclusively from recycled fabric or textile waste.
People who prefer to buy recycled clothes are interested in sustainability for a different reason than people in the previous two market segments.
While they are just as interested in the environmental aspects of sustainable fashion, they are also interested in its ethical implications. They believe that it is unethical to produce new clothes when there are so many clothes that have been discarded and could be reused.
The recycling of clothes also has further benefits for the environment. Clothes are often made from plants like cotton. Plants need land. And they need irrigation. The land used to grow cotton plants for making clothes is land that cannot be used for growing food. In other words, the recycling of clothes can have the added benefit of freeing up arable land.
So just as people like to buy recycled paper, there will be a growing trend to buy recycled clothes. This target market is only going to grow.
5. People who support fair trade practices
People who support fair trade practices are also interested in sustainable fashion for ethical reasons – although in a slightly different way than those who buy recycled clothes.
They believe that it is wrong for workers to be exploited and paid unfairly, which often happens in the traditional fashion industry.
Such people will hunt for clothing brands that not just support sustainable fashion but also support fair trade practices. An example of such a fashion brand is People Tree.
People who support fair trade practices are also likely to buy their clothes online if that is the only place they can get clothes made following ethical business practices.
Summary
There is a growing awareness of the negative impact that the fashion industry can have on our planet. As a result, more and more people are interested in buying sustainable fashion.
The target market for sustainable fashion can be categorized into different segments of environmentally-conscious people. The key segments include people who want to support ethical and sustainable business practices, those who prefer clothes made from organic materials, those who only buy recycled clothes, and those who believe in fair trade practices.
With the growing demand for sustainable fashion, we can expect to see more and more fashion brands catering to these target markets in the future.
According to sustainable fashion industry statistics, the market is expected to rise to $9.81 billion in 2025 and $15.17 billion in 2030 at a CAGR of 9.1 percent, due to the growing awareness of ethical fashion in India.
Young and middle-aged men are most likely to stick solely to sustainable clothing brands, and those that do are also more likely to buy second-hand or recycled clothes. Men aged between 25 and 44 are most likely to say that they only buy sustainable fashion.
Research says “to sell green, target the middle class”
Their six studies, including a combined 1606 participants, suggest that consumers who think of themselves as being middle class are the most likely to choose green products over conventional products.
According to the research, the 10 countries most interested in sustainable fashion are: United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Iceland, Australia, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark and Canada.
Despite high inflation, sustainability-marketed products took more market share in 2022 and now comprise 17.3% of purchases compared to conventionally marketed products, according to a new report from Circana and the New York University Stern Center for Sustainable Business. That's up 0.3% from 2021.
Reduced Carbon Dioxide and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Sustainable clothing uses biodegradable components from natural or recycled fibers. These materials grow with no pesticide or fertilizer use, consume less energy and water, and employ no chemical treatment, thus reducing the overall carbon footprint of these brands.
Good Maker Tales reports that more than half of Gen Z surveyed will pay 10% more for a sustainable product. 70% claimed that sustainability is an important factor in their buying choices.
45-year-olds spend the most on clothes, then spending gradually decreases. This shows that the spending habits of people in different age groups can be used to inform marketing strategies. Knowing which age group spends the most on clothes can help retailers target their products and services to the right demographic.
Brands commonly use consumer surveys, market research, competition analysis, and limited product offerings to assess the market and consumer behavior before launching.
We're committed to eliminating, reducing and finding alternatives for plastics in our products, packaging and operations — one important way our teams design for circularity. Our goal is to achieve zero waste to landfill in U.S. operations by 2030.
For example, a children's toy may have boys ages 9–11 as the target market and the boys' parents as the target audience. It may also be defined as the consumer segment most likely to be influenced by an advertising campaign. The target market is also distinct from the buyer persona.
Millennials showed the most change. Fifty-eight percent of “core” millennials (those ages 27 to 32) surveyed by PwC say they've become more eco-friendly. Core and “young” millennials (those ages 23 to 26) are also the most likely to agree that they consciously consider sustainability while shopping.
Sustainable fashion is no longer a niche market term for high-end consumers or us environmentally-conscious few. Over the past decade or so, sustainable fashion has become decidedly mainstream, with major brands and retailers investing in eco-friendly materials and production methods.
Between 2021 and 2030, the global green technology and sustainability market is forecast to grow. In 2021, the size of this market amounted to roughly 35.5 billion U.S. dollars.
According to a survey from McKinsey & Co., 66% of all respondents and 75% of millennial respondents say that they consider sustainability when they make a purchase. Customers now align themselves with brands that are compatible with their values and priorities.
More consumers shop for sustainable brands out of concern for the environment than retail executives think. To them, consumers buy sustainable goods to show their commitment to others However, consumers say they want to reduce their carbon footprint and production waste.
“The future of fashion will see us moving away from using new fabrics to focus more on upcycled materials that will minimize our carbon footprint and reduce waste. The use of dead stock will hopefully become more of the norm, ensuring that our clothing remains in circulation rather than ending up in a landfill.”
The global sustainable fashion market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.7% from 2020 to 2027. Key drivers of this growth include growing awareness of environmental issues, growing demand for sustainable fashion products, and growing investment in sustainable fashion by world fashion brands.
The target audience for fast fashion is consumers aged between 18 and 24, while women and young girls consume fast fashion more than any other demographic group.
Generation Z members say they want sustainable clothes but buy fast fashion instead – new research. Nine in ten surveyed bought fast fashion and only one in six could name a brand which made sustainable clothing, according to the study by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University.
College age consumers that are looking for trendy clothing at an affordable price. Young professionals in search of trendy clothing at an affordable price for themselves and their children.
The ethical fashion market reached a value of nearly $7,548.2 million in 2022, having grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% since 2017. The market is expected to grow from $7,548.2 million in 2022 to $11,122.2 million in 2027 at a rate 8.1%.
Personal factors such as age, gender, occupation, income, personality etc all contribute to consumer buying behavior while purchasing clothes. The clothing industry is a highly competitive market. With so many brands and models to choose from, it is hard for the consumer to decide what type of clothes to buy.
What is sustainable luxury? Sustainable luxury is a term used to describe the idea that you can have a luxurious lifestyle without having a negative impact on the environment. With sustainable luxury, you can enjoy beautiful clothes, a great home, and healthy food while still protecting the environment.
What is the 30 Wear challenge? The 30 wear challenge is a commitment to wearing a new item of clothing at least 30 times. It forces you to pause before clicking buy and ask yourself, 'will I actually wear this 30 times?” If the answer is not 100% yes, then you don't make the purchase.
The TBL dimensions are also commonly called the three Ps: people, planet and profits. We will refer to these as the 3Ps. Well before Elkington introduced the sustainability concept as "triple bottom line," environmentalists wrestled with measures of, and frameworks for, sustainability.
Sustainability's three main pillars represent the environment, social responsibility, and the economic. (These three pillars are also informally referred to as people, planet, purpose, and profits.)
Sustainability is often represented diagrammatically. The figure at the top of this page suggests that there are three pillars of sustainability – economic viability, environmental protection and social equity.
Reduced Carbon Dioxide and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Sustainable clothing uses biodegradable components from natural or recycled fibers. These materials grow with no pesticide or fertilizer use, consume less energy and water, and employ no chemical treatment, thus reducing the overall carbon footprint of these brands.
A target market is a group of customers to which a business aims to sell their merchandise. In this case, we will be looking at the target market of retailers in the apparel and footwear industries.
When consumers are asked if they care about buying environmentally and ethically sustainable products, they overwhelmingly answer yes: in a 2020 McKinsey US consumer sentiment survey, more than 60 percent of respondents said they'd pay more for a product with sustainable packaging.
A desire to help the environment was found to be the primary reason consumers purchase sustainable products and brands. Almost 30% say they want to improve the environment, with 23% wishing to reduce production waste, 22% wishing to reduce their carbon footprint, and 17% concerned with animal welfare.
What is 'Sustainable' fashion? 'Sustainable' fashion refers to garments that have been made in a way that is mindful of the many environmental issues the fashion industry touches upon.
The target audience for fast fashion is consumers aged between 18 and 24, while women and young girls consume fast fashion more than any other demographic group.
There are many ways to segment markets to find the right target audience. Five ways to segment markets include demographic, psychographic, behavioral, geographic, and firmographic segmentation.
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