Supporting second hand clothing purchases

Overview

Clothing production and consumption systems are recognised as needing urgent change to reduce the world’s waste and carbon emissions. Each year, Australians purchase some 15kg of new clothing per person, with a similar amount discarded each year, and clothing and textiles have recently been identified by the Australian government as a waste priority area.

One of the oft-repeated strategies for sustainable consumption is to purchase second-hand, with many services and systems rapidly emerging to support and commercialise this consumption practice. However, many people report disliking purchasing and wearing second-hand clothing.

Research activities

The purpose of this research is to identify the beliefs underlying people’s intentions and willingness to purchase second-hand clothing rather than new clothing.

Outcomes

This study will record and seek to intervene in current consumer attitudes in Australia toward second-hand clothing. The objectives include:

• investigating the perceived advantages/disadvantages of second-hand clothing, pressures from others regarding their consumption amongst a variety of demographics
• establishing the barriers and facilitators related to second-hand garments
• devising and testing countermeasures to establish if any of the barriers and facilitators related to second-hand garments can be leveraged to increase this consumption path instead of new clothing.

Scholarships

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Keywords

• sustainability
• fashion
• consumer behaviour
• sustainable consumption practices
• second-hand

Contact

Contact the primary supervisor, Dr Madeline Taylor, for more information: madeline.taylor@qut.edu.au