Consumers are becoming increasingly picky about sustainable clothing and home textiles, narrowing down to raw materials used. Team Viva interprets a survey of post-pandemic choices

To understand consumer interest in sustainable materials and their current knowledge, Lenzing Group (Lenzing), a global leader in sustainably produced wood-based specialty fibers, announced findings from its global consumer perception survey. It assessed the perception and behaviour of the conscious consumer towards sustainable clothing, home textiles and raw materials.

A total of 9,000 respondents across nine countries aged between 18 and 64 were surveyed using online questionnaires. The report provided a glimpse into consumer habits towards pursuing a sustainable lifestyle, their knowledge of the raw materials and home textiles, their perception towards the brands and preferred product descriptions. The survey also reflected the need for closer collaboration within the clothing and home textile industries to provide consumers with more transparent information about the products that they purchase. Here are the key findings of the survey:

Conscious consumers actively engage in pursuing a sustainable lifestyle and are constantly educating themselves about raw materials.

Almost all (86 per cent) respondents believed in purchasing clothes made from sustainable raw materials. It was a key component of living a more sustainable lifestyle. They frequently purchased products from the brands that are committed to using sustainable raw materials (80 per cent) or recycled products (77 per cent). The survey revealed that the majority of respondents actively learned about sustainability through researching the production process of the products (76 per cent in clothing and 74 per cent in bedding and home textiles). They also tend to read label hang tags (88 per cent in clothing and 86 per cent in bedding and home textiles). Most of the respondents were willing to pay an average of 40 per cent more for clothing or home textile products with descriptions that reflect sustainability.

When shopping for clothes and home textile products, around 44 per cent of the respondents considered the material type to be their most important choice, which was above price, design, brand reputation and function.

Products described as eco-friendly or natural with a biodegradable or recyclable afterlife appeal to consumers.

When asked about the definition of sustainable clothing, respondents considered products being processed or manufactured using eco-responsible techniques. They preferred products made from natural, organic or botanic materials. Over 80 per cent of the respondents expressed that they were “extremely interested” or “very interested” in slow fashion and purchasing clothes made from sustainable raw materials.

When asked about their preference for clothing and home textiles, half of them said that they would be more likely to purchase a product described as “eco-friendly” or “natural”. Whereas over 60 per cent of respondents were more likely to purchase products with a “recyclable” or “biodegradable” afterlife. Given the popularity of such terms, brands should provide greater clarity and detailed information to the customers about the materials that they have used, production process and afterlife of the product.

Brands with greater transparency on raw materials and ingredients can gain consumer trust.

Most of the respondents considered brands that were transparent with their ingredients (83 per cent) and the origin of their raw materials (82 per cent) as trustworthy. At the same time, they also considered brands that were transparent about their production process (82 per cent), sustainable practices (81 per cent) and where their raw material comes from (82 per cent) as trusted ones. Approximately 87 per cent of the respondents believed that knowing what raw materials were used in their clothing and home textile products was important to build confidence in a brand.

“The findings of this survey prove the value of the group’s ongoing efforts in driving the sustainability dialogue across the textile supply chain, from yarn makers to consumer brands. Based on the survey, we gained a more comprehensive understanding of consumer perceptions globally. The rating of material type being the top consideration factor when shopping for clothing and home textile products has also echoed our belief that consumers value and actively look out for sustainable products. This survey provided us, our partners and brands with insights to curate more targeted strategies and programmes to drive sustainability, not only on raw materials, but also product afterlife. In the long run, we hope to bring optimal value for the clothing and home textiles industry supply chain and help brands achieve new heights, drive sustainability and safeguard our planet,” said Florian Heubrandner, Vice President of Global Business Management Textiles at Lenzing.

Collaboration in the fashion and textile industry is essential for driving greater transparency.

Though sustainability has been a hot topic among brands to enhance transparency, there is still room for the supply chain to evolve communications on raw materials, production process and product afterlife. Given consumers are already actively searching for sustainable products, it is important for the industry and brands to revolutionise how technical knowledge is translated into consumer language on websites, product tags and labels.

To drive this change, the company has been taking the lead with a three-pillar approach to increase industry collaboration and shift towards sustainability by ensuring a higher degree of transparency and enabling verification of raw material origin from production process to final garment. The three-pillar approach covers special fiber identification technology, a blockchain-based tracking system and proactive supply chain collaboration and planning.

“We are thrilled to see more consumers embrace a sustainable fashion lifestyle by making informed purchases based on research and reading product labels. With rising consumer expectations towards sustainability, over the past few years, we have been transforming and upgrading the Tencel brand experience through proactive engagement programmes on sustainable cellulosic fibers,” said Harold Weghorst, Vice President of Global Brand Management at Lenzing.

“Consumer interest in eco-friendly and biodegradable products aligns with our ongoing commitment to bring brands and consumers more sustainable and biodegradable options to the clothing and home textile industries. Derived from sustainably sourced wood, Tencel branded fibers offer breathability, quality and biodegradability to clothing and home textile fabrics that are used in our everyday lives. While we continue to advocate for innovation in sustainable raw materials, we will continue to go beyond fibers and look for new ways to engage brands and consumers, enabling them to embrace sustainability anytime, anywhere,” added Weghorst.