Clothing Disposal System by Gifting

Abstract

The study of clothing disposal systems, involving the flow of clothing from one household to another, is of great interest because of the positive social and environmental consequences. Based on 35 in-depth interviews with adult men and women in Ecuador, a Latin American country, the authors sought to expand knowledge regarding one of these systems: clothing disposal by gifting to family, friends, and acquaintances. The respondents' narratives indicated that the clothing disposal system by gifting is noncentric; based on social exchange, it strengthens the links between givers and recipients while allowing for clothes to circulate for a longer time. The data also indicated an intersection between age and gender, offering insight into how the process of clothing disposal by gifting develops within households. In some disposal events reported by participants, the clothing disposal system by gifting demonstrated autonomy, but in other events, it interacted with the clothing marketing system.

Towards Sustainable Clothing Disposition: Exploring the Consumer Choice to Use Trash as a Disposal Option

“…Women were selected since, by virtue of being the largest consumers of clothing, they are also the largest disposers of clothing. Consumers of higher socioeconomic status are reported to be more involved in clothing disposal behaviors [11]. Prior researchers have also shown that older consumers are more likely to use the trash for apparel disposal than younger consumers (under the age of 35) [5].…”

“…In a study of Ecuadorian households, older women were found to be instrumental in the mobilization of unwanted clothing that would be disposed of through gifting. Gift giving was found to be related to the interaction of the respondent with the clothing market system as well as an autonomous act where gifting was not due to a new purchase, for example, but rather, the act of giving [11].…”

“…Specifically, motivations to begin the apparel disposal process that have been identified include a full closet, the seasons, desire for a change, the physical condition of the garment and garment type [9]. With respect to disposal modes, researchers have investigated various disposal modes including use of charity, second hand stores, clothing exchanges, gifting, selling and the trash [5,6,[9][10][11]. Despite the existing body of knowledge, the consumer choice of the trash as a disposal option, and the underlying decision making process used to reach that decision, has not been adequately addressed.…”

Identity, self‐concept and young women’s engagement with collaborative, sustainable fashion consumption models

“…The interviews adopted a semi-structured approach to allow for fluid conversation with participants and centred on the core themes of willingness to engage and barriers to engagement within each of the four models of collaborative consumption (buying second-hand, renting, sharing and swapping). The CFC modes of gifting/receiving gifted clothing and family re-use (handing down of items) (Cruz-Cárdenas,González, & Gascó, 2016;Klepp & Laitala, 2018) were not included in this examination of CFC, as a distinction was drawn between active (acquirer) and passive (recipient) consumption modes, with the focus here on the seeking out of collaborative consumption opportunities. This allowed a focus on the benefits of the modes considered within a commercial or business model framework.…”

Efeitos Da Covid-19 Nos Comportamentos De Descarte Do Consumidor E Cenários De Negócios Futuros

“…Percebe-se uma ênfase no que diz respeito ao comportamento de presentear ou (re)presentear que tratam de produtos de vestuário (CRUZ-CÁRDENAS; DEL VAL NÚÑEZ, 2016; CRUZ-CÁRDENAS et al, 2017). A literatura entende que o descarte como forma de presentear é mais demorado do que a doação, por exemplo, pois o processo de presentear necessita de uma identificação de potenciais destinatários do objeto (CRUZ-CÁRDENAS; DEL VAL NÚÑEZ, 2016).…”