Kim Y. Hiller Connell

Exploring consumers' perceptions of eco-conscious apparel acquisition behaviors

Purpose - The purpose of this research is to advance understanding of the socially responsible apparel consumer by exploring apparel consumption behaviors perceived by consumers to be eco-conscious. Design/methodology/approach - This study used a qualitative approach to collect and analyze data from 26 American apparel consumers. Data collection for the study occurred through semi-structured interviews. Findings - Results indicate that the participants engaged in a number of perceived eco-conscious apparel acquisition behaviors. First, they adhered to acquisition limits by acquiring apparel based on need and extending the lifetime of their apparel. Second, they acquired apparel made from fibers or having other attributes perceived as environmentally preferable. Finally, they acquired apparel through sources believed to be environmentally preferable, including second-hand sources, eco-conscious companies, independently owned companies, and home sewing. Research limitations/implications - The sample of 26 American consumers means that the results cannot be widely generalized. Future research should examine the apparel acquisition behaviors of a larger sample and include consumers from outside the USA. Practical implications - This study provides evidence that consumers engage in a range of eco-conscious apparel acquisition behaviors, and a market segment of eco-conscious apparel consumers exists. Apparel industry professionals can use this baseline information to aid in the development of eco-conscious apparel consumption strategies. Originality/value - This study contributes to increased understanding of eco-conscious apparel consumption, an area with limited previous research, by identifying apparel acquisition behaviors that consumers perceive to be eco-conscious. The findings are valuable in the promotion of eco-conscious apparel consumption.

Socially and environmentally responsible apparel consumption: knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between social and environmental responsibility knowledge, attitudes, and purchasing behavior.Design/methodology/approach – An online questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge of, and attitudes towards, issues of social responsibility, including social and environmental aspects related to the production and distribution of apparel and textile goods. Information regarding engagement in socially and environmentally responsible apparel‐purchasing behavior was also collected. Participants included students enrolled at a four‐year institution located in the Midwestern USA.Findings – Participants indicated being more knowledgeable about apparel environmental issues as compared to apparel social issues. Overall, participants exhibited low involvement in socially and environmentally responsible apparel‐purchasing behavior. However, both knowledge and attitudes of social and environmental issues were significant predictors of socially and en...

Assessing sustainability education in a transdisciplinary undergraduate course focused on real-world problem solving: a case for disciplinary grounding

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a classroom assessment aimed at determining the extent to which key sustainability competencies develop in students during an introductory transdisciplinary sustainability course.Design/methodology/approach – The paper summarizes three previously identified key sustainability competencies and describes teaching methodologies used in the introductory course described here to foster these competencies in students. The development of these competencies over the course of one semester is assessed using a pre‐/post‐test based on case analyses. The implications of these findings for academic sustainability programs are discussed.Findings – Based on the assessment used here, the sustainability competencies developed differently in students with different disciplinary affiliations as a result of the introductory sustainability course. Business majors did not improve any of the key competencies, sustainability majors improved systems thinking compete...

Social Normative Influence: An Exploratory Study Investigating its Effectiveness in Increasing Engagement in Sustainable Apparel-Purchasing Behaviors

Abstract Even when consumers are knowledgeable and concerned about sustainability issues related to apparel production and consumption, their level of engagement in sustainable apparel purchasing behaviors is low. Through a four-group pretest posttest, quasi-experimental design, this exploratory research examined the persuasive appeal of door hangers employing social normative influence and petitioning consumers to engage in sustainable apparel-purchasing behaviors. Data were collected from students living on campus at a university in the Midwestern United States. At the start of the experiment, the participants completed a survey that assessed engagement in sustainable apparel purchasing. Door hangers were then distributed to the participants’ rooms. After 10 weeks, the students’ engagement in sustainable apparel purchasing was reassessed by having the participants complete an identical survey. Results indicate that engagement in sustainable apparel-purchasing behaviors among the participants was low. Furthermore, normative social influence was not an adequate motivator to increase consumption of sustainable apparel.

Creativity and Sustainable Fashion Apparel Consumption The Fashion Detox

Because promoting sustainable fashion apparel consumption is a pressing contemporary problem, Generation Y participants in the Midwestern United States were challenged to a Fashion Detox, where they refrained from acquiring fashion apparel for ten weeks and blogged about the experience. Content analysis of blog entries for this exploratory study revealed expressions of creativity that were examined through the lens of the propulsion model of kinds of creative contributions. Findings revealed kinds of creative contributions stimulated by voluntary simplicity that satisfy the fashion apparel consumer’s need for novelty and change: expressions of creativity that follow a fashion-driven direction already established, called redefinition and forward incrementation, and those that take a completely different path but within the context of seeking novelty and change, or redirection. Examples of creative activities within these three kinds of creative contributions are, respectively, re-designing old clothes, shifting their focus to home décor instead of apparel, and turning away from fashion apparel altogether. Fourty-six percent of the participants left the 10-week activity feeling that their creativity had been enhanced and 54% expressed the intention to carry on the sustainable consumption lessons they learned. By cultivating expressions of creativity that lead to sustainable consumption through education and innovative business models, stakeholders may initiate a paradigm shift that fulfills the fashion apparel consumer’s need for novelty and change without sacrificing the planet s resources.

Fair trade consumption from the perspective of US Baby Boomers

Purpose - – The purpose of this study is to expand the knowledge base of Baby Boomers’ attitudes, behaviours and perceived barriers related to fair trade purchasing. Design/methodology/approach - – This study included 168 Baby Boomers. Data were collected through an online questionnaire. Data analysis included a combination of both quantitative (descriptive statistics, independent samples Findings - – Findings indicated that the participants exhibited positive attitudes towards fair trade but were minimally engaged in fair trade purchasing. Furthermore, the participants perceived numerous barriers to purchasing fair trade products including the incompatibility of fair trade merchandise with lifestyles, the inability to touch and see fair trade products prior to purchase and difficulty in identifying fair trade items. Research limitations/implications - – A limitation of this study is that the sample was well-educated university faculty and it is not representative of all Baby Boomers. Practical implications - – Fair trade entities need to be more effective in marketing the advantages of the fair trade. Fair trade organizations should consider targeting marketing strategies specific to the unique demographic and psychographic characteristics of Baby Boomer consumers. Originality/value - – This research expands understanding of the consumer behaviours of US Baby Boomers related to fair trade. An additional contribution is the comparison of differences in fair trade knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of Early vs Late Baby Boomers. It also has potentially important implications for fair trade organizations, as the paper discusses marketing strategies specific to Baby Boomers.

Environmentally Sustainable Clothing Consumption: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior

The purpose of this chapter is to overview the current body of knowledge related to environmentally sustainable clothing consumption. The chapter discusses consumers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards environmental issues related to the production, consumption, and distribution of clothing. Additionally, the chapter examines current consumer engagement levels in environmentally sustainable clothing consumption and analyzes the relationships between knowledge, attitudes, and clothing consumer behavior. Finally, the chapter concludes with a consideration of consumers’ perceived barriers to environmentally sustainable clothing consumption.

US Consumers’ Environmentally Sustainable Apparel Purchase Intention: Investigating the Role of Social Influence of Peers to Use Social Networking Sites Applied to the Theory of Reasoned Action (An Abstract)

This study poses to enhance understanding of how to increase the probability of purchase intention for environmentally sustainable apparel (ESA) through the science of technology usage. An objective of this study is to explore social networking sites as a potential mechanism for increasing knowledge of and attitudes toward ESA. The study considers social networking sites (SNS) a feasible variable regarding this issue because they not only rapidly communicate to consumers but SNS also convey the attitudes and opinions of users’ online referent groups. Pookulangara and Koesler (2011) call for the incorporation of social media into marketing mixes, and if companies and brands do not do that, then they are practicing poor customer service. The social networking sites focused on in this research are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Azjen and Fishbein (1980) Theory of Reasoned Action was the driving theory behind this study.

When the Informal Is the Formal, the Implicit Is the Explicit: Holistic sustainability education at Green Mountain College.

Purpose The purpose of this project is to provide an account of the student experience at a higher education institution known for its holistic approach to sustainability education. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was conducted at Green Mountain College (GMC), an environmental liberal arts school in Poultney, VT; 55 students participated in focus group interviews. Findings Students articulate that the most valuable gains that manifest at GMA are a variety of new capacities for science literacy, anthropological appreciation, the triple bottom line, a sense of place, systems, empathic decision-making and reasoning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practical techniques supporting self-sufficiency. Prompting these emergent outcomes was a philosophy of practice at Green Mountain College, which included place-based techniques, empowerment, personalization, community ecology and charting polarity. Many students described their seeming metamorphosis as uncomfortable, and some felt isolated from the outside paradigm. Research limitations/implications A key implication of the study’s findings is that in a holistic setting, the line between the informal and formal curriculum are significantly blurred and what is implicitly communicated through university practices and values is what most transforms the students’ explicit understanding of sustainability. Practical implications Sustainability education is far more than technique, far more than what a lone instructor can manifest in students. While the persistence of individual faculty members is important, this evidence suggests that the fertile conditions for transformation may be more fruitful when faculty members work together with a collective sense of responsibility and a well-articulated paradigm. Originality/value The advantage of the present study is that it examines the perceived impact of a focus on sustainability across curricula and school by considering the educational environment as a whole. The experiences of students from many different majors who are involved in a holistic, sustainability-infused curriculum at a university with a history of successful post-graduation job placements in the sustainability field are explored here.

The Millennial graduate student: implications for educators in the fashion discipline

The purpose of this study was to expand upon an overall understanding of todays Millennial graduate student. Information related to the motivations of Millennial generation students in pursuing masters degrees in fashion programmes were collected, in addition to analysing the expectations of Millennial students while in graduate programmes. Participants included both masters-level graduate students enrolled in fashion programmes and graduate faculty at the students’ home institutions. The similarities and expectations among students and faculty were identified. A major finding was that Millennial graduate students are primarily motivated by industry-related career goals and do not perceive conducting empirical research as central to their education. The educational implications for graduate faculty based on the findings of this study are addressed, noting areas of educational reform and additional research.