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Australian consumers believe ethical purchasing is important, but are failing to follow through on their own beliefs, according to a new report.
The new Australian Ethical Consumer report, released by Christian aid and development organisation Baptist World Aid Australia, analyses consumer fashion purchasing.
It shows that while 87% want to change their fashion consumption habits to consume more ethically, just 46% indicate they regularly purchase from ethical/sustainable fashion brands.
The report, which draws from national data, seeks to understand the attitudes and beliefs of Australian consumers towards ethical fashion consumption, and uncovers the key motivations for Australians when making purchases. It reveals that most Australians feel a sense of global responsibility and want to change their consumption habits, but cite awareness of ethical brands and expense as the two greatest barriers to doing so.
Key findings of the report:
- Australians are largely driven by value when making purchases. Good quality (80%) coupled with low price (71%) are most likely to influence Australians’ purchasing decisions.
- Taste can also play a significant role, with three in five (61%) suggesting suitability to their taste influences their decisions.
- Australians are less likely to be swept up in trends, with only 12% suggesting keeping up with trends influences their decision and even less (8%) being influenced by fitting in with those around them. Younger Australians are, however, more likely to be influenced by keeping up with trends compared to their older counterparts (29% Gen Z, 16% Gen Y cf. 9% Gen X, 2% Baby Boomers, 2% Builders).
- Females and males can often be influenced by different factors when making a purchase.
- Males are more likely than females to be influenced by practicality (53% cf. 48%) and locally sourced/made products (42% cf. 36%), whereas females are more influenced by price (74% cf. 69%) and sustainable brands (31% cf. 24%).
“There’s a dissonance between who we want to be, and what we’re doing to get there,” says Peter Keegan, director of advocacy at Baptist World Aid. “Almost three in four Australians believe ethical fashion and related issues of human rights and environmental sustainability are important, with three in five consumers becoming more aware of the impacts of their purchases over the past three years. But a large portion of consumers are still struggling to take those next steps towards purchasing ethically. Tools like the Ethical Fashion Report are created to bridge this gap and help consumers to match intention and action.”
Generational and gender divides are apparent when it comes to ethical consumption, with Generation Z females scoring highest across all demographics. This reflects a greater sense of global citizenship by younger generations identified in the survey results, and a greater propensity to engage with news, resources and other information about ethical fashion.
“Aussies pride themselves on supporting a ‘fair go for all,’ and this couldn’t be more applicable when examining the issues of injustice surrounding ethical fashion,” adds Ashley Fell from McCrindle. “We see younger generations, and women, more open to changing their habits to align with this value.”
“This report reveals we have a long way to go when it comes to ethical consumption and understanding the impacts that our purchases have on the environment and people around the world,” concludes Keegan. “But with tools like the Ethical Fashion Guide … we can take those next steps towards becoming more ethical consumers.”
By Just Style