Barriers Hindering Pro-Environmental Consumption of Clothing in Iceland

Abstract

The increased consumption of textile and clothing over the years has led to overconsumption of natural resources that has resulted in emissions of greenhouse gas, discharging pollution in the environment as well human impacts have put textile industry under strict scrutiny worldwide. It is widely discussed in the literature that the awareness and knowledge of environmental issues can lead to pro-environmental behaviour, on the other hand it has been also discussed that not only knowledge but there are number of barriers that hinder pro-environmental consumerism. This study is aimed to explore the barriers consumers face when shopping for environmentally friendly clothing in Iceland. Six data collection sessions were conducted, that is four focus group interviews and two individual interviews, with a total of 19 interviewees. The data was analysed by conducting a thematic analysis that gave rise to three main themes: characteristics of environmentally friendly clothing, purchasing behaviour and barriers hindering pro-environmental consumption, and role of government and clothing stores. Additionally, 15 sub-themes emerged, associated to the main themes. The barriers that were most related to consumption practices in Iceland were the high cost of environmentally friendly clothing and limited availability of stores as well as, sizes, style, and other choices in Iceland. This thesis provides important insights related to the barriers, mainly the market being so small because of the small population that environmentally friendly clothing or second-hand clothing is scarcely available and if available, it still seems to be more expensive than large fast fashion brands. The study also helps providing suggestions for stores to make environmentally friendly clothing more visible by making designated sections and proper labelling. For the government, the suggestion is to make processes easy for the environmentally friendly clothing brands as well as second-hand clothing stores by reducing taxes and introducing grant schemes.