Waste not want not: Behavioural intentions toward garment life extension practices, the role of damage, brand and cost on textile disposal

Abstract Growing attention on the environmental and social impacts of the modern culture of consumption has highlighted garment disposal as a central area for concern. Fashion consumers are often said to overconsume, as well as frequently dispose of otherwise functional garments, for reasons of style and taste. To begin to move consumers toward a social manufacturing fashion model, consumer perceptions of garment value must be unpicked, by examining their use and disposal of surplus fashion products, and what factors prompt categorisation of items as suitable for garment life extension practises or final disposal. Unless the core constructs of consumer value perceptions in relation to these categorisations can be identified for target groups of consumer, there is little likelihood of methods of engagement with textile longevity actions being successfully promoted within these consumption groups. This study examines one group of heavy consumers of fashion: young, urban, South Koreans, and explores their behavioural intentions toward garment life extension practices. The research finds that used garment life extension is influenced overall by garment damage and perceived quality, as well as by garment type in some scenarios. Lifecycle assessment methods such as that presented in this research, when combined with demographic profiling, allow for targeted solutions that address the core complexities of fashion use and disposal within specific groups of consumers.