Consumer interest in upcycling techniques and purchasing upcycled clothing as an approach to reducing textile waste

Abstract

This study investigates the constructs of environmental concern, consumer creativity, and fashion consciousness and examines the relationships between these variables and consumer interest in learning upcycling techniques and purchasing upcycled clothing. Students (n = 120) at a Mid-Atlantic university were surveyed with an instrument created for the study using multi-item scales to measure each variable. Simple linear regression and multiple regression tests were run to measure the strength, direction, and significance of the hypothesised relationships. Results show a positive and significant relationship between interest in learning upcycling techniques with environmental concern and with consumer creativity, as well as between interest in purchasing upcycled clothing with environmental concern and with fashion consciousness. The findings can be used by brands selling upcycled apparel to successfully target creative, as well as environmentally and fashion-conscious, consumers to limit post-consumer textile waste.