Environmental concern and apparel consumption: an empirical study of Chinese consumers

In the past three decades, the apparel manufacturing industry has been one of driving forces for the rapid growth of China’s economy. In 2010, China exported $130 billion apparel products accounting for 37% of total global apparel exports, while apparel sales in its domestic market exceeded $150 billion (Zheng, 2010). With the booming consumption and export, the impacts of apparel production, use and disposal on the environment have been accelerating. The level of air, water, and land pollutions has been unprecedented. According to a recent environmental awareness survey of Chinese consumers, 80 percent respondents rated environmental deterioration as the most concerned issue. Against this backdrop, a growing number of Chinese consumers are changing their apparel consumption behaviors with the belief that individual small efforts will add together to make a notable impact on the environmental protection (Lee, 2009)