Sustainable fashion draws younger buyers, with materials and quality the top concerns – Equities News for Impact

Young U.S. consumers have the “most generous wallets” for sustainable fashion products, willing to spend $371 versus $335 for the population as a whole, according to a new report by IFM – Première Vision Chair, the Institut Français de la Mode and Première Vision cited by the Sourcing Journal’s Rivet website.

The survey asked 18-24 year olds in the U.S. and four western European countries how much they would be willing to spend on a sustainable shopping basket of jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers. French youth were also willing to spend a relatively high $354 for those items compared with only $222 for the population overall in that country.

The report found that a significant proportion of consumers in 18-24 and 25-34 age brackets are adopting more sustainable practices, favoring brands that respect both the environment and labor conditions. The results were based on a survey of 6,000 consumers from France, Italy, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S.

“The use of higher-quality materials that are less harmful to the environment, or the use of recyclable or recycled materials, are likely to have a strong influence on young consumers’ choices across the world and particularly in France,” the report stated.

When it comes to determining the sustainability of a product, material choice ranks as the most important factor, regardless of the country surveyed. In Italy, 46.7 percent of the population consider it as the main lever for a more responsible fashion industry. The U.K. and the U.S. also exceed 40 percent on this criterion.

Young consumers in Germany, Italy and the U.S. named product quality as the most important factor in making a sustainable fashion purchase. In Italy, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. it is the most important criterion cited when defining preferred brands, according to the report.

The intent to shop more sustainably is proving to be multigenerational, however. The report found that almost one in two people in France are making sustainable fashion purchases. In Italy, 52.6 percent of the population already buys sustainable clothing. In Germany it is 51.4 percent.

The main reason for not making a sustainable purchase cited in the U.S. (34.5 percent) and the U.K. (37.4 percent) was the lack of information on the subject. In Italy, not knowing where to buy these products was the main reason 33.8 percent of the consumers surveyed hadn’t made such a purchase.

Read more: Younger investors want more sustainable options around the globe