Drivers of clothing disposal in the US: An exploration of the role of personal attributes and behaviours in frequent disposal

Abstract

Clothing products remain important in today's consumer culture, but the sustainability of that consumption is questionable, as it often leads to excess waste. The purpose of this study was to explore the drivers of clothing waste, and to investigate the influence of demographic factors and personal attributes on disposal frequency. An online survey was conducted to over 500 men and women in the US from three different generational cohorts. The survey investigated fashion trend sensitivity, shopping frequency, quality and price consciousness as well as demographic factors, utilizing 5‐point Likert scales. On the basis of literature, seven hypotheses were developed. Correlational analysis, independent t‐test and one‐way analysis of variance were conducted to test the hypotheses. Results indicate that fashion trend sensitivity, fashion shopping frequency, higher incomes, younger age groups and being female are all positively correlated with frequent clothing disposal. Interestingly, quality consciousness was positively correlated to frequent clothing disposal, while price consciousness was negatively related to clothing disposal frequency. This study contributes to the literature by providing a more specific examination of the drivers of frequent clothing disposal and providing empirical evidence to support previous exploratory studies.

Second‐hand clothing consumption: a cross‐cultural comparison between American and Chinese young consumers

“…Clothing disposal options include donating to thrift stores, giving to family and friends, repurposing, rejuvenating, recycling and selling through different channels including garage sales, consignment stores, flea markets and eBay (Charbonneau, 2008). Donation to nonprofit organizations and passing on to family and friends are the most common options for clothing disposal (Koch and Domina, 1997;Lang et al, 2013). Donation to nonprofit organizations and passing on to family and friends are the most common options for clothing disposal (Koch and Domina, 1997;Lang et al, 2013).…”

The effects of body image and self‐esteem on frequency of closet cleaning

“…This finding also contradicts research that indicates men consume and dispose of clothing differently than women (e.g. Chang et al ., ; Lang et al ., ). It also contradicts findings by Shim (), where women disposed of clothing less than men.…”

“…The results also support the findings suggesting that age is a factor in disposal behaviour (Lang et al ., ; Shim, ) and that older consumers may keep clothing because they purchase less often to follow trends and they keep clothing for personal meanings (Bukisa, ). The findings suggest that young women are susceptible to beauty norms (Pipher, ) and young men are experiencing similar pressures to meet masculine ideals (e.g.…”

“…Lang et al . () found women tended to dispose of clothing more often reasoning an interest in trends when compared to men.…”

Sustainable Fashion Supply Chain Management

“…In addition, they advocate that for the second-hand clothing collectors, they should provide the most convenient way for people to donate their clothing. Recently, Lang et al (2013) study a sustainability issue on the clothing disposal behavior in the US through an empirical analysis. Their analysis shows that there is a more frequent clothing disposal when people have: a higher fashion trend sensitivity level, a higher fashion shopping frequency, higher incomes, a higher product quality consciousness, and a lower price consciousness.…”