Consumer awareness and participation in the Circular Economy: A case study of the second-hand clothing fashion in the city of Amsterdam

The fashion industry is a major contributor to the negative environmental impacts on the planet. Therefore, the need to diminish the consumption of clothing and adopt a more sustainable manner of doing fashion has become imperative. The upcoming approach of Circular Economy (CE) proposes a framework for achieving sustainability by reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovering materials. Within this context, second-hand clothing represents a practice of the CE which emphasizes the concept of reusing and maximizing the lifespan of textile materials. The enhancement of this practice can have positive environmental impacts on the planet. For the actual implementation and success of this practice, the role of consumers and their engagement is relevant. Several worldwide studies have already explored consumers’ awareness and participation in the second-hand clothing market but none, to the knowledge of the researcher, concerning Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands. Therefore,...Show moreThe fashion industry is a major contributor to the negative environmental impacts on the planet. Therefore, the need to diminish the consumption of clothing and adopt a more sustainable manner of doing fashion has become imperative. The upcoming approach of Circular Economy (CE) proposes a framework for achieving sustainability by reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovering materials. Within this context, second-hand clothing represents a practice of the CE which emphasizes the concept of reusing and maximizing the lifespan of textile materials. The enhancement of this practice can have positive environmental impacts on the planet. For the actual implementation and success of this practice, the role of consumers and their engagement is relevant. Several worldwide studies have already explored consumers’ awareness and participation in the second-hand clothing market but none, to the knowledge of the researcher, concerning Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands. Therefore, this thesis will focus on Amsterdam and tries to gain insights by posing the following research question: To what extent are consumers in Amsterdam aware of and participating in the circular economy practice of second-hand clothing? Specifically, to investigate this matter, the research was conducted through the distribution of an online survey with the participation of 77 consumers. Results showed a generally high level of awareness but a lower level of active participation in the CE practice of second-hand clothing. This study may provide valuable insights, not only, to the municipality of Amsterdam but also to a wide range of other stakeholders involved in the second-hand clothing market, with the overall aim of enhancing the adoption of CE and the second-hand clothing practice.Show less

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Consumer awareness and participation in the Circular Economy: A case study of the second-hand clothing fashion in the city of Amsterdam