Consumers urge brands to take action says latest Zalando sustainability report

Fashion Network

4 days ago

Fashion e-tail giant Zalando has released a new consumers study that highlights how shoppers want brands, retailers and others to take action on sustainability.
It also presents a 'collective roadmap for change with recommendations for retailers and brands, the EU, and other national governments, as well as social media platforms and influencers'.
This comes four years after its sustainability attitude-behaviour gap report, which was called It Takes Two, with the latest report dubbed It Takes Many — Mobilising collective action to enable more sustainable consumer choices in fashion.
Zalando has found that 'although consumers want to take next steps in making more sustainable fashion choices, there is a persistent attitude-behaviour gap as many still seem to struggle to act on their intentions. Most importantly, the research confirms that consumers view sustainability as a shared responsibility and expect action'.
That's why the business has 'introduced an initial roadmap for collective action, shaped through dialogue with consumers and leading industry experts'.
The report is based on quantitative and qualitative research conducted across France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the UK to assess general consumer attitudes, behaviours and expectations regarding fashion and sustainability. The findings were added to with interviews from industry experts – including Zalando's partner brands, associations, consultancies, and independent specialists – to explore how various actors can better enable more sustainable choices and support a broader industry transformation.
So what are the three key findings? Dubbed Beyond The Gap, the first finding is that 66% of consumers say they already make sustainable choices and 62% report having 'a lot' to a 'moderate' amount of knowledge about sustainability. But consumers want to do more – 71% aspire to shop for fashion items more sustainably and 74% want to wear clothes more sustainably. Key barriers are price (41%), difficulty identifying sustainable options (27%), not knowing where to shop (24%), not knowing what to do (21%), and distrust of sustainability claims (19%).
Number two is It Takes Many with 77% of consumers expecting action from brands and 72% from individuals like themselves. Many also look to the EU (66%), social media platforms (65%), national governments (63%), and influencers (61%) to take responsibility for more sustainability in the fashion industry. Stakeholders are 'expected to make sustainability the norm'.
Third is What's Next With Consumers. Zalando's segmentation identified four groups among the consumers it interviewed – Fashion First, Conscious Curators, Mindful Minimalists, and Indifferents – who 'can be more effectively engaged through a deeper understanding of their motivations and challenges'. Their motivations range from 'value-seeking and self-expression to sustainability and minimalism. To enable real change, the fashion industry must meet consumers where they are, not where we assume or wish them to be'.
As for the roadmap, Zalando is urging brands and retailers to make more sustainable fashion 'the default choice by investing in product design, material innovation, and affordability. Only if supported — and not hindered — by clear and enabling regulation, can brands and retailers accompany these actions with greater transparency and provide accessible, trustworthy information that supports consumers throughout their purchasing journeys. Support must also extend beyond the point of sale, enabling customers to care for, repair, and recycle garments as well as making second-hand shopping a seamless part of the mainstream retail experience'.
And it's calling on governments and the EU to 'create the conditions to enable more sustainable behaviour in consumers by lowering taxes on sustainable products, funding infrastructure for circularity, and simplifying labelling to make sustainable choices easier to identify'. According to the study, a third of consumers who look to governments and the EU for help support a simplified, government-backed label or eco-score system to help them navigate sustainability claims with more confidence.
Zalando — and the consumers it spoke to — also want social media platforms and influencers 'to use their influence to shift the narrative away from fast fashion and toward a more aspirational vision of durability, quality, and conscious consumption'.