SUSTAINABILITY TREND IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY: CONSUMERS’ POINT OF VIEW

Because sustainability is a modern mega-trend, it is influencing almost all aspects of people’s lives. As the fashion industry is currently the world’s second largest producer of carbon emissions, second only after oil, the sustainability trend has a major impact on fashion businesses. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how consumers per-ceive the sustainability trend in the fashion industry. The study applies a deductive research approach and the following research strategies: a grounded theory, a case study and a survey. The thesis first discusses key topics regarding sustainability, the fashion industry, and consumer behavior. Then the sustainable fashion initiatives of the case companies, H&M Group and Inditex, are described. Based on the outcomes of the literature review and analyzing case studies, survey questions are formulated to find out how consum-ers view the sustainable fashion trend. The results show that consumers’ overall attitude towards the sustainable fashion trend is positive. The steps consumers and fashion brands are taking to become sus-tainable are described in detail in the concluding section. Furthermore, suggestions for further research are also presented