• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.73-84
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• 2020

Recently, there has been a change in consumer culture. The paradigm is changing from a consumption model that used to emphasize rationality to an ethical consumption model that focuses on sustainability. Such a change in consumption patterns has also been seen in the cosmetics industry, but studies to empirically assess this trend are incomplete. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to empirically identify the impact of ethical consumption proprieties on attitudes and purchasing intentions for ethical cosmetics. To achieve the aim of this study, 506 adult women residing in Korea were selected as subjects and surveyed. To identify the demographic characteristics of the study participants, a technical statistical analysis and frequency analysis were conducted. To check the validity and reliability of the measuring tools, an exploratory factor analysis was performed, and the Cronbach's α factor was calculated. The analysis method was analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 and the Amos 25.0 statistical analysis programs. The results of this study are as follows. First, ethical spending tendencies had a positive impact on attitudes toward ethical cosmetics. Specifically, interest in ethical issues, altruism, and business ethics perception have had a positive impact on attitudes toward ethical cosmetics. However, consumer effectiveness had no significant impact on attitudes toward ethical cosmetics. Second, attitudes toward ethical cosmetics had a positive effect on purchasing intentions. This study found that for the spread of ethical cosmetics and ethical consumption trends varied according to the age and that attitudes toward ethical cosmetics and differences in purchasing intentions should be kept in mind. It also showed that attitudes toward ethical cosmetics affect purchasing intentions. The results of this study suggested that the analysis of adult women, the main consumers of cosmetics, by age was meaningful for finding the factors for growth in the macroscopic ethical cosmetics industry and that the industry could raise its ethical awareness. If such tasks are systematically established, ethical cosmetics are thought to be able to actively solve social problems and lead a mature cosmetics industry.

• Proceedings of the Korea Information Processing Society Conference
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• 2021.05a
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• pp.426-428
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• 2021

전 세계적으로 건강, 환경보호, 윤리적 소비를 추구하는 소비자들이 증가하면서 다양한 분야에서 동물성 제품을 섭취하거나 소비하지 않는 생활방식인 비거니즘(Veganism)을 지향하는 사람들이 증가하고 있다. 한국 또한 매년 채식에 대한 관심이 높아지고 있지만 외국에 비해 채식하기에 좋은 환경은 구축되어 있지 않으며 가공식품을 구매할 경우 성분 표를 일일이 확인해야 하는 어려움이 있다. 본 연구에서는 사용자가 섭취하고자 하는 가공식품의 성분을 분석하여 본인의 채식주의자 단계에 적합한 제품인지 쉽게 판별할 수 있는 모바일 앱을 제안한다.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.869-878
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to review university students' attitudes towards value-based consumption and their influences on it to the types of LOHAS lifestyle. The statistical analysis was based on a questionnaire survey by 275 subjects. Several attitude variables included in the study such as 'attitudes toward LOHAS lifestyle', 'environment', 'charity', 'need of business ethics', 'investment into socially responsible business', and 'good consumption'. By the results of the study, first, students' attitudes and concerns about the environment were positive, however, not expanded to the absolutely positive attitudes for their future society. Second, there is no clear relationship between their participation in the community and their attitudes to the LOHAS lifestyle. Third, university students' consumption was not based on the values of LOHAS, but on the attitudes to their own well-being. Fourth, groups with lower income and with no religious tendency revealed more positive attitudes toward LOHAS lifestyle than other groups. Fifth, there are some relations between LOHAS lifestyle and the individual's economic role performances such as the attitudes to 'environment', 'charity', 'need of business ethics,' 'investment into socially responsible business', and 'good consumption'.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.159-173
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• 2013

This research investigates the mechanism of ethical fashion consumption by examining the effects of benefit and risk perception on ethical fashion consumption attitudes and behavioral intention. To test the hypotheses, 300 female consumers between the ages of 20 and 49 were invited as study participants. The reliability and the validity of multi-item constructs were tested by Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The hypotheses were tested by utilizing Structural Equation Analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The benefit perception of ethical consumption was composed of three benefit types, which were altruistic benefit, social image benefit, and self-oriented benefit. Benefit perception, except social image benefit, had significant effects on consumer attitudes towards ethical fashion consumption; similarly, benefit perception had significant effects on behavioral intention (except self-oriented benefit) which had an effect on behavioral intention only when it was mediated by attitudes. Further analysis was conducted to understand the reason for the weak relationship between attitudes and behavioral intention. Financial and performance risk perceptions were tested for the moderating roles of attitudes and behavioral intention; subsequently, only financial risk interacted with attitudes and showed that the positive effects of attitudes on behavioral intention were weakened by a high financial risk perception. Performance risk had a main effect on behavioral intention independent of attitudes. Managerial implication and future study directions are also discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.125-137
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• 2013

This study investigated the conceptual constructs of ethical consumption beliefs and their impacts on the consumer attitudes toward eco-friendly faux leather apparel goods. The mediating roles of perceived consumer effectiveness and apparel environmental knowledge were examined in this research. A survey was conducted on female consumers between the ages of 20 and 50; subsequently, 300 responses were analyzed. The results of this study were follows: 1) The results of factor analysis and the reliability test on ethical consumption beliefs clearly showed factorial structures that include Social Responsibility, Eco-friendly Consumption, Animal Welfare, and Individual Enhancement. 2) The results of the mean scores of ethical consumption beliefs showed that respondents tended to consider Social Responsibility more important than the other three factors. Ethical consumption beliefs showed a significantly positive influence on consumer attitudes toward eco-friendly faux leather apparel products; in addition, Social Responsibility had the highest effect on product attitudes among the four factors of ethical consumption beliefs. 3) The perceived consumer effectiveness and environmental knowledge of apparel had important medicating roles in the relation-ship between ethical consumption beliefs and attitudes towards eco-friendly faux leather apparel products. This study highlighted a potential marketability of eco-friendly faux leather apparel products and that ethical consumption beliefs, perceived consumer effectiveness, and apparel environmental knowledge should be promoted among consumers to increase favorable attitudes towards these products.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.131-149
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• 2010

The purpose of this research was to explore the levels of ethical consumptions and related factors on ethics of undergraduates as consumers. For statistical analysis, Cronbach' ${\alpha}$, factor analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Duncan's multiple range test, Pearson co-relationship analysis, and multiple regression analysis with a total of 761 questionnaires were conducted. The research results are summarized as follows. 1. The scores to measure ethical consumptions level of the undergraduates was ranged from 2.66 to 3.64, which were relatively low. 2. The ethical consumptions in the commercial transaction were found to have significant differences according to gender, college years, and religion. The ethical consumptions of current generation were found to have the significant differences depending on their gender, college years, major, parents's education level, monthly allowance, and religion. The ethical consumptions of future generation were found be significantly different based on their gender, college years, mother's education level, father's occupation, monthly household income, and monthly allowance. 3. The major variables affecting the level of the ethical consumptions in the commercial transaction were materialism, social responsibility, idealism and college years. The major variables affecting the level of the ethical consumptions of current generation resulted from social responsibility, frequency contact with the mass media about the ethical consumptions, religions, and materialism. Social responsibility, frequency contact with the mass media about the ethical consumptions, idealism, expenditure, experience about the consumption education and materialism were the factors affecting the level of the ethical consumptions of future generation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.125-140
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• 2014

This study aims to investigate the effects of ethical consumption consciousness on the attitude of consumers toward purchasing recycled apparel and suggest guidelines to improve awareness and induce purchase on recycled and eco-friendly apparel. The following steps were taken: 1) examination of the status of consumer consciousness on recycled apparel and their usage 2) investigation of how ethical consumption consciousness affects purchase attitude of recycled apparel 3) finding out whether purchase experience of recycled apparel makes a difference in ethical consumption consciousness and purchase attitude. 311 males and females living in the Daegu region were used as subjects. Questionnaires were distributed for around 2 weeks for data collection. A total of 298 surveys were used for analysis due to the other thirteen being excluded for not having quality responses. Collected data were used to perform frequency analysis, factor analysis, reliability analysis, descriptive, regression analysis by using SPSS 18.0 Korean version. Results are as follows: First, regarding the status of consumer consciousness on recycled apparel and their usage, respondents considered convenience as an important factor. On the contrary, factors such as usage, participation intention and positive attitude on recycled apparel were relatively high. Second, regarding how ethical consumption consciousness affects purchase attitude on recycled apparel, the analysis result showed that having consciousness for environmental protection and volunteering significantly affected purchase attitude toward recycled apparel whereas business ethics did not affect it. Third, the responses from the consumers with purchase experience of recycled apparel and consumers without it showed that being conscious of environmental protection significantly affected both groups.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.66 no.7
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• pp.17-33
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• 2016

Consumption of faux fur is a part of ethical consumption, and is valuable in terms of protecting and caring for animals. The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning of consuming faux fur (i.e., characteristics of faux fur consumption and how consumers relate faux fur with ethical issues) from the perspective of consumer culture theory. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with those who have purchased faux fur. Two overarching themes emerged in regards to consuming faux fur, altruistic and egoistic orientation. Regarding the altruistic orientation, participants were sympathetic to animals, and considered consumption as part of practicing social responsibility and ethics. Participants had concerns for animal rights and conflicts with others who consumed actual fur. They viewed faux fur as an alternative to actual fur. Regarding egoistic orientation, participants isolated themselves from ethical issues in order to be free from guilt. Despite the preference for actual fur, they compromised between their desire and social criticism. Furthermore, their intention was to pretend as if they were wearing actual fur or move onto a completely different style, and had a negative outlook on social change regarding the adoption of faux fur. The findings contribute to a better understanding of consumer culture of consuming faux fur. Further research on diverse aspects of ethical consumption is warranted.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.899-918
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• 2018

Upcycling is the process of repurposing abandoned resources or useless products into products of better quality or higher environmental value. Upcycling products are evaluated to be sustainable because they demonstrate environmental values. However, domestic upcycling companies are operating on a small scale with a slow growth rate. This study aims to examine the value and risk factors of upcycling products from previous literature and clarify the effect of these ambivalent characteristics on purchase intention. This provides direction regarding factors upcycling companies should focus on. The data were collected via an online experiment with women in their 20s and 30s residing in South Korea, nationwide. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 18.0. Analysis of this data suggests that environmental, design, and self-expression value positively affect purchase intention. This extends previous upcycling literature by identifying design and self-expression value as important antecedents of purchase intention. However, in contrast to previous literature, no significant effect of performance or diversity risk was found. These results indicate that ethical attitude has a moderating effect on the relationship between environmental value and purchase intention. This study confirms that consumers intend to purchase upcycling products when they possess not only environmental value but also design and self-expression value.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.307-327
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• 2021

This study analyzed the effects of fashion consumers' moral identity and empathy propensity on ethical consumption attitude and donation behavior, and the effect of ethical consumption attitude on donation behavior. The survey was conducted on consumers over the 20s who experienced the donation of fashion products, 384 responses were used for data analysis. The result showed that the internality and symbolism of moral identity had a positive effect on ethical consumption attitudes. The all factors of empathy propensity positively affected eco-friendly oriented consumption, and cognitive empathy and social empathy positively affected boycott oriented consumption. The cognitive empathy, social empathy and relational empathy positively affected community oriented consumption and practice oriented consumption. Furthermore, social empathy and relational empathy positively affected recycling oriented consumption. The eco-friendly, boycott, community, and recycling oriented consumption positively affected temporal donation. The all factors of ethical consumption attitude positively affected emotional donation, and eco-friendly, community, recycling, and practice oriented consumption positively affected material donations. The internality and symbolism of moral identity positively affected temporal and emotional donation, and the symbolism except internality positively affected material donation. The cognitive empathy, social empathy and relational empathy positively affected the temporal donation and material donation. In addition, the all factors of empathy propensity positively affected emotional donation. The results of this study will contribute to the ethical product strategy, marketing, and sustainable development of the fashion industry.