• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.59-69
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• 2010

Green or an environmental consciousness has been a major issue for businesses and government offices, as well as consumers, worldwide. In response to this movement, the Korean government announced, in the early 2000s, the era of "Green Growth" as a way to encourage green-related business activities. The Korean fashion industry, in various levels of involvement, presents diverse eco-friendly products as a part of the green movement. These apparel products include organic products and recycled clothing. For these companies to be successful, they need information about who are the consumers who consider green issues (e.g., environmental sustainability) as part of their personal values when making a decision for product purchase, use, and disposal. These consumers can be considered as eco-sumers. Previous studies have examined consumers' purchase intention for or with eco-friendly products. In addition, studies have examined influential factors used to identify the eco-sumers or green consumers. However, limited attention was paid to eco-sumers' disposal or recycling behavior of clothes in comparison with their green product purchases. Clothing disposal behaviors are ways that consumer can get rid of unused clothing and in clue temporarily lending the item or permanently eliminating the item by "handing down" (e.g., giving it to a younger sibling), donating, exchanging, selling, or simply throwing it away. Accordingly, examining purchasing behaviors of eco-friendly fashion items in conjunction with clothing disposal behaviors should improve understanding of a consumer's clothing consumption behavior from the environmental perspective. The purpose of this exploratory study is to provide descriptive information about Korean eco-sumers who have ecologically-favorable lifestyles and behaviors when buying and disposing of clothes. The objectives of this study are to (a) categorize Koreans on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors; (b) investigate the differences in demographics, lifestyles, and clothing consumption values among segments; and (c) compare the purchase intention of eco-friendly fashion items and influential factors among segments. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on previous studies. The questionnaire included 10 items of clothing disposal behavior, 22 items of LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) characteristics, and 19 items of consumption values, measured by five-point Likert-type scales. In addition, the purchase intention of two eco-friendly fashion items and 11 attributes of each item were measured by seven-point Likert type scales. Two polyester fleece pullovers, made from fabric created from recycled bottles with the PET identification code, were selected from one Korean brand and one US imported brand among outdoor sportswear brands. A brief description of each product with a color picture was provided in the survey. Demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, marital status, education level, income, occupation) were also included. The data were collected through a professional web survey agency during May 2009. A total of 600 final usable questionnaires were analyzed. The age of respondents ranged from 20 to 49 years old with a mean age of 34 years. Fifty percent of the respondents were males and about 58% were married, and 62% reported having earned university degrees. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to identify the underlying dimensions of the clothing disposal behavior scale, and three factors were generated (i.e., reselling behavior, donating behavior, non-recycling behavior). To categorize the respondents on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors, k-mean cluster analysis was used, and three segments were obtained. These consumer segments were labeled as 'Resale Group', 'Donation Group', and 'Non-Recycling Group.' The classification results indicated approximately 98 percent of the original cases were correctly classified. With respect to demographic characteristics among the three segments, significant differences were found in gender, marital status, occupation, and age. LOHAS characteristics were reduced into the following five factors: self-satisfaction, family orientation, health concern, environmental concern, and voluntary service. Significant differences were found in the LOHAS factors among the three clusters. Resale Group and Donation Group showed a similar predisposition to LOHAS issues while the Non-Recycling Group presented the lowest mean scores on the LOHAS factors compared to the other segments. The Resale and Donation Groups described themselves as enjoying or being satisfied with their lives and spending spare-time with family. In addition, these two groups cared about health and organic foods, and tried to conserve energy and resources. Principal components factor analysis generated clothing consumption values into the following three factors: personal values, social value, and practical value. The ANOVA test with the factors showed differences primarily between the Resale Group and the other two groups. The Resale Group was more concerned about personal value and social value than the other segments. In contrast, the Non-Recycling Group presented the higher level of social value than did Donation Group. In a comparison of the intention to purchase eco-friendly products, the Resale Group showed the highest mean score on intent to purchase Product A. On the other hand, the Donation Group presented the highest intention to purchase for Product B among segments. In addition, the mean scores indicated that the Korean product (Product B) was more preferable for purchase than the U.S. product (Product A). Stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the influence of product attributes on the purchase intention of eco product. With respect to Product A, design, price and contribution to environmental preservation were significant to predict purchase intention for the Resale Group, while price and compatibility with my image factors were significant for the Donation Group. For the Non-Recycling Group, design, price compatibility with the factors of my image, participation to eco campaign, and contribution to environmental preservation were significant. Price appropriateness was significant for each of the three clusters. With respect to Product B, design, price and compatibility with my image factors were important, but different attributes were associated significantly with purchase intention for each of the three groups. The influence of LOHAS characteristics and clothing consumption values on intention to purchase Products A and B were also examined. The LOHAS factor of health concern and the personal value factor were significant in the relationships with the purchase intention; however, the explanatory powers were low in the three segments. Findings showed that each group as classified by clothing disposal behaviors showed differences in the attributes of a product, personal values, and the LOHAS characteristics that influenced their purchase intention of eco-friendly products. Findings would enable organizations to understand eco-friendly behavior and to design appropriate strategic decisions to appeal eco-sumers.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.225-239
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• 2014

This study examines how environmental consciousness and socially responsible clothing consumption attitude influence people's perceptions of the consequences of fast fashion. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey administered to females in their 20s to 40s, and a total of 430 surveys were used in the final analysis. The research results are as follows. First, environmental consciousness-which was conceptualized as interest in consumer effectiveness and the environment-had a positive influence on attitudes toward socially responsible clothing consumption attitude, i.e., clothing recycling and resource conservation. As the perception of consumer effectiveness was high, respondents had a tendency not to follow trends. Second, consumers with a high level of interest in the environment perceived the effect of fast fashion on the environment as serious, and they felt negatively toward personal use of fast fashion. Third, consumers with strong resource conservation behavior perceived the effect of fast fashion on the environment as serious, but those with positive attitudes toward secondhand clothing did not appear to have that perception. Finally, consumers who followed trends and those with weakly held attitudes about resource conservation felt positively toward personal use of fast fashion. The results of this research indicate that environmental consciousness is an important factor for socially responsible clothing consumption behavior. In addition, consumers with strong attitudes regarding resource conservation were more perceptive of the negative effect of fast fashion on the environment.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.65-73
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to prepare lesson plans, study aids and multimedia learning materials for the clothing units in TechnologyㆍHome economics of the 7th national curricula. It's also meant to utilize these materials in instruction in order to provide students with more direct and practical learning experience and make them capable of leading a successful life in the 21st century. 1. The teaching plans were mapped out for the clothing units in TechnologyㆍHome economics class for middle school grade 2, which were all covered by eight textbooks: clothing and life(the function of clothes, my attire, wearing a suit, and wearing Korean traditional dress), the preparation of garments(the type of fiber, understanding of stuff, and preparing garments), and cloth care and storage (washing, storage, alteration and recycling). 2. The lesson plans included information on the name of units, period, learning objectives, teaching environment, materials, learning content, introduction, development, remarks, topping off, announcement for next session, and related Web sites. 3. To raise the effect of education, study aids were developed to be appropriate for the units. The lesson plans and study aids for the clothing part of TechnologyㆍHome economics class for middle school grade 2 would serve to help students build the right clothing habits, and are expected to serve as good teaching materials.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.932-941
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• 2013

This study aims to investigate the impacts on adolescents of the application of the education program for ethical consumption related to clothing in terms of their clothing-related ethical consumption consciousness, and in terms of their general ethical consumption knowledge and behaviors. Additionally, the effects of clothing-related ethical consumption consciousness and general ethical consumption knowledge on general ethical consumption behavior were examined. The program for education in ethical consumption related to clothing for adolescents was developed and applied, two surveys for the pre-post test design were conducted with high school female and male students, and a total of 158 responses were analyzed. The results of this study were as follows. 1) The results of the factor analysis and the reliability test on ethical consumption consciousness for high school students clearly showed factorial structures including Pro-environmentalism, Animal welfare, Social responsibility, and Recycling. 2) Analysis of the differences in the means of ethical consumption consciousness, knowledge, and behaviors of respondents between pre-test and post-test revealed that posttest means of all research variables after application of the education program were higher than pre-test means. 3) The ethical consumption knowledge had important medicating roles in the relationship between ethical consumption consciousness with regard to clothing and general ethical consumption behaviors. Overall, the study provides empirical evidence to support the notion that there is a need for applying an ethical consumption education program to lead adolescents to consume ethically.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.781-790
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• 2012

In midst of growing interest and awareness towards sustainability and being "green", there has been increased demand for sustainable clothing. In the purpose of boosting eco-friendly textiles industry, this research was conducted by investigating environmentally-conscious clothing behavior of university students and assessing their views on eco-friendliness of fibers. Thus, their awareness on recycled polyester fiber was evaluated. The research was conducted by surveying 257 university students residing in Daejeon. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and reliability analysis, using SPSS 19.0. The results were as follows. 1) The majority of the subjects answered "Disposing clothing in the clothing recycling container" to reduce environmental impact. 2) Six factors of eco-friendliness of fiber were extracted as reutilization, unfinishedness, economics, environment preservation, natural materials, and slow fashion by using factor analysis. 3) Subjects scored organic cotton as most eco-friendly among various fibers. Recycled polyester fiber was graded less sustainable than natural fiber, but more eco-friendly than artificial one. 4) In assessment of subject's awareness of recycled polyester fiber, they highly valued on resource-reutilization and economics, but less valued on its hygiene, thermal insulation and health-functionality.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2014

School uniform recycling has gained increasing attention as one of the solutions for environmental problems and improvement of home economics. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of environment-friendly consumption consciousness, consumption behavior, and consumption value on attitude of school uniform recycling in adolescents. Using self-completion questionnaire, environment-friendly consumption consciousness, consumption behavior, and consumption value were examined in 426 middle- and high school female students in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. The results are as follows; first, although more than 60% students showed positive attitude for purchasing recycled school uniform, respondents have rarely been purchasing recycled school uniform. Second, environment-friendly consumption consciousness, consumption behavior, and consumption value of students had the significant effect on the attitude of school uniform recycling. Our results suggest that more efforts should be focused on the education of environment-friendly consumption consciousness and consumption behavior.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.568-577
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• 2023

This study examined how middle-aged female consumers' environmental consciousness influences their attitudes and ethical purchasing behavior toward RUR (recycling, upcycling, and reuse) knit products. The research employs a survey method, targeting 30-40 year old women residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do Province. On-line and off-line data collection were conducted. The following conclusions emerged through statistical analyses, including factor analysis, cluster analysis, t-test, and regression analysis. Firstly, respondents' environmental consciousness variables were classified into two factors, delineating high and low environmental consciousness clusters, demonstrating significant differences between them. Secondly, the high environmental consciousness cluster exhibited more positive consumer attitudes and ethical purchasing behavior towards RUR knit products. Moreover, it was established that environmental pollution consciousness and eco-friendly product purchase consciousness influenced environmental consciousness on consumer attitudes and ethical purchasing behavior. Lastly, the study confirmed that consumer attitudes mediated environmental consciousness and ethical purchasing behavior. In conclusion, this research establishes a meaningful link between environmental consciousness, consumer attitudes, and ethical purchasing behavior in 30-40 year old women. Environmentally conscious groups positively influence attitudes toward RUR knitted fashion and promote ethical purchasing behavior. Consequently, it is recommended that knit fashion companies prioritize environmental consciousness and eco-friendly products in their marketing strategies. Furthermore, diversifying the application of RUR knit products, coupled with eco-friendly production techniques, can amplify their appeal and utility, ensuring a positive impact on consumer behavior.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to classify the environmental awareness attitudes of university students and analyze their differences in social support pursuit, and apparel consumption behavior. Questionnaires were administered to 236 college students living in Daegu City and Kyoungbuk province. Frequency, factor analysis, reliability analysis, cluster analysis, ANOVA, Duncan-test, and t-test were used for data analysis. The findings were as follows. The environmental awareness attitudes had factors as recognizing the importance of environmental issues, purchase of eco-friendly products, public opinion legislation awareness, interests on eco-friendly product, and eco-friendly practice. Social support pursuit were found as marginal people support pursuit, emotional support pursuit, informational support pursuit, and problem-solving support pursuit. Apparel consumption behavior were found as planned purchase, social participation attitude, clothes recycling, life practice, low-price orientation, emphasis on designs, clothing-life practice, and consciousness over others. The environmental awareness attitudes of university students were classified into four groups of Consumers of Environment-Awareness, Consumers of Environment-interests, Consumers of Environment-practice, and Consumers of Low Environment-awareness. The groups showed significant difference in social support pursuit, and apparel consumption behavior. Gender of university students showed significant differences the environmental awareness attitudes, social support pursuit, and apparel consumption behavior. It is meaningful to find out the significant relationship in a social context between environment recognition and social support pursuit related by friends. This study also offered a basic information related to social support pursuit by the types of university students' environmental awareness attitude and consumption on clothing, which is necessary for environmental education and green consuming behavior.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.159-167
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• 2021

The increasingly severe environmental problems such as resource depletion and ecological damage, and consumers' concern for sustainable fashion, make the fashion industry chain develop towards green energy saving. The purpose of this study is to explore the attitude and consumption psychology of specific groups towards sustainable fashion consumption, as well as their specific views and attitudes towards recycled textiles or fabrics for re-manufacturing clothing. This paper attempts to understand how the characteristics of recycled clothing affect consumer. Based on the review of relevant literature, a series of determinants affecting consumer behavior is determined, and the characteristics of recycled products, such as expression value and social value, are determined. An online questionnaire was designed based on this conceptual framework, and 226 valid, complete answers were received. The results show that the emphasis on social value and environmental protection consciousness can effectively affect consumers' decision-making. These findings were helpful to the research of whole green environmental protection and ecological clothing recycling industry system, promote the sustainable development of the clothing industry.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.183-196
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• 1996

The purposes of this study were to review the effects of textiles production on the environment, and to investigate the environmental consciousness and environmental preservation behavior of textile producers. This study was conducted by reference analysis and empirical research. To develope theoretical framework of dimensions of environmental behavior, references concerned were analyzed. And for empirical study, researcher developed a questionnaire based on the free writing by producers and references. The questionnaire included problems about environmental consciousness, environmental behavior, demographic variables, and environmental variables. 135 questionnaires were used for final data analysis. ANOVA and factor analysis were used. The results were as follows: First, the level of global environmental problem consciousness was relatively high. The conscious level of water pollution caused by the waste water from textile mills was the highest, and that of desertation of mountain caused by timber cutting was the lowest. The effects of textile dyers and finishers on the environment were the highest, and that of designers were the lowest. Second, the results of reference analysis showed that the dimensions of textile producers environmental behavior were resource and energy saving, solid waste reduction, and green product production. And the results of empirical study were resource and energy saving, resource reuse or recycling, solid waste reduction, and green product production, and total variances was 62.3%. The practice was the lowest. Third, global environment problem consciousness, environment problem consciousness caused by the textile life-cycle concerned, and clothing seperate-collection or not at residing place were effective on environmental behavior, and 52.45% of environmental behavior was explained with above variables.