Generation Y’s and Swing’s consumption of clothes : a cost/benefit analysis of sustainable behavior

• The consumption of clothes is high and steadily increasing. The garment industry’s resource-intensive manufacturing and consumers’ use and disposal of clothes therefore constitute an increasing environmental problem. The negative impact that consumption of clothes has on the environment makes it important to further investigate consumers’ acquisition, use and disposal of clothes. The aim of this paper is through a cost-benefit analysis of consumers’ consumption of clothes study what affect their propensity to consume more environmentally friendly – focusing on consumers representing generation Y and Swing. The study is based on three empirical studies: a survey at the largest retail store in Scandinavia, focus group interviews with members of the generation Y and Swing cohorts, and interviews and observations at a clothes swapping event. Our results show that the propensity to behave environmental friendly when consuming clothes is negatively affected by price sensitivity and various search cost, cost of disposal, information cost, and cost of use. The study also shows that the two cohorts experience different benefits in the consumption of clothes which also may affect their behavior.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Sustainability

Cost

Benefit

Acquisition

Disposal

Generation Y

Generation Swing

Consumer behavior

Sustainability

Bussiness and IT

Handel och IT

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)