Sustainable apparel consumption : scale development and validation

Graduation date: 2015Access restricted to the OSU Community, at author's request, from July 14, 2014 - July 14, 2016he purpose of this project was to develop a scale to measure sustainable apparel consumption. This study used concept analysis to identify attributes of sustainable apparel consumption. Within an academic online database, a search for articles containing "sustainable consumption" in their titles was performed. Within each article, the attributes associated with sustainable consumption were identified. Based on the attributes found, The researcher developed an initial sustainable apparel consumption measurement scale, and then conducted a series of quantitative tests to examine its reliability and validity. The findings of this study resulted in 11 sustainable apparel consumption (SAC) scales and generalizable to both those who and those who do not practice sustainable consumption. The SAC scales created an overall standard of sustainable consumption in apparel by including the three main stages of consumption, pre-acquisition, acquisition and post-acquisition, and three principles of sustainability, social responsible behaviors and environmentally oriented behaviors. The results showed statistically acceptable internal reliability and validity. The major contributions of this group of scales are to clarify the behaviors associated with sustainable apparel consumption and consequently to provide a measurement scale foundation for future research. The 11 scales represent 11 behavioral dimensions within consumption which should be used separately to investigate consumers' consumption behaviors including consumers' need recognition; consumption behaviors towards products’ environmental impact, e.g., whether consumers will purchase an apparel made from organic and recycled materials; consumption behaviors towards products' social impact, e.g., whether consumers will purchase an apparel made from ethical manufactures and retailers; consumption behaviors towards perceived manufacture and retailers environmental and social commitment, e.g., the degree to which consumers prefer to purchase apparel linked to manufacturers and retailers who are identified with environmental and social causes; point of purchase behavior, e.g., whether consumers will by second-hand clothes; continued use, e.g., whether consuemrs will continue to wear an item which is damaged ; repurpose behavior, e.g., whether consumers will repurpose an item which is damaged; alteration for maintenance, e.g., whether consumers will alter an item which is not fit; use of eco-cleaning processes, e.g., whether consumers use eco-friendly detergent; and divestment behavior (give it away), e.g.,whether consumers will donate their unwanted clothes