Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore whether a “value-action gap” exists between what members of the adolescent Generation Z (Gen Z) cohort value and how they act by investigating their actions related to sustainable and responsible fashion consumption (SRFC). Specific focus was placed on understanding these actions across the apparel consumption cycle, ranging from the acquisition, to use and disposal stages. Design/methodology/approach Forty-one members of Gen Z (20 males and 21 females) ranging in age from 15 to 18 participated in a total of seven focus groups. Findings Three emergent themes were identified and used to structure the interpretation: unintentionally sustainable, a knowledge conundrum and perceived barriers. Research limitations/implications The majority of focus group participants were Caucasian, and all were teenagers from a single geographical area in the Southeastern USA. Findings provided by this study offer insight regarding the SRFC habits of Gen Z relative to their concerns regarding sustainability and social and environmental responsibility. Practical implications Findings offer practitioners an opportunity to better understand how to address the needs of this generational cohort as they progress through adulthood. Originality/value Findings of this study investigate the value-action gap to offer insight into how adolescent members of Gen Z make consumption decisions, and specifically within a framework of the apparel consumption cycle as a whole, including acquisition, use and disposal. Findings also reveal some of their more general views on SRFC.

The fashion industry is characterized by unsustainable production and consumption. However, a consistently noted barrier to sustainable and responsible apparel consumption is a lack of consumer knowledge. A potential solution to mitigate this barrier is to use apparel labeling to signal the sustainability of an item to consumers. Thus, the purpose of this study is to employ signaling theory to explore the aspects of sustainability that resonate with consumers and why, the modes of communication preferred by consumers, and how such information would affect their apparel consumption decisions. In-depth interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of twenty participants. Analysis of the data resulted in the identification of three emergent themes related to communicating information about sustainability that were used to structure the interpretation: Its Importance is Relative, Signal Mode vs. Message, and Increasing the Interest Level. Overall, participants preferred simple, yet detailed messages on apparel labels to communicate aspects of an apparel item’s sustainability. Ultimately, such labeling signals sustainability to consumers, enabling them to differentiate between sustainable and unsustainable apparel.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract