Investigating the antecedents of consumer behavioral intention for sustainable fashion products: Evidence from a large survey of Italian consumers

The heavy environmental effect of the fashion industry, along with the growing interest of consumers in sus- tainability issues, is driving this industry towards greater ecological integrity through the development of sus- tainable clothing. This study investigates which factors influence green consumer behavioral intention in the clothing industry, through a survey of 2.694 Italian consumers. We study the influence of consumer’s envi- ronmental concern, perceived value of the product, and consumer familiarity with the product (both direct and indirect experiences) on purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium price for sustainable fashion products. Our results show that environmental concern and perceived value positively affect purchase intention and the willingness to pay a premium price regardless the type of eco-materials used for the products, whereas direct and indirect experiences have different effects based on the specific eco-material used. Further, green consumer behavior is strongly dependent on consumers’ socio-demographic characteristics. Based on these re- sults, important implications for scholars, managers, and policymakers are provided that can foster consumers’ adoption of sustainable clothing and a transition towards a more sustainable society. For instance, specific di- rections for marketing strategy and public communication campaigns are provided.