Although there is still a long way to go, more and more people would be willing to pay a little more money for a sustainable garment than for a non-sustainable one. This is according to a survey conducted by IBM and Morning Consult of 1,000 adults in Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany.

The respect for the environment and the care for the planet has had an impact on different strata of society and also on fashion consumers.

According to the survey results, Germans would be willing to spend more on sustainable fashion. The groups surveyed would pay on average fifteen euros for a sustainably produced white T-shirt, which is almost four euros more than they would pay for a non-sustainable one. UK residents, however, are the least likely to pay more for a sustainable clothing item.

Many brands produce only sustainable clothing while others are still shy about launching sustainability-based collections. This strategy must be carried out globally and involve governments, which can help and subsidize designers and manufacturers; companies from all economic sectors and the entire population must also be involved. It is an awareness-raising task that must be adopted by everyone, from children to the elderly.

Challenges for sustainable fashion garments

Paradoxically, customers, particularly Generation Z ones, consider themselves to be more eco-friendly. They care about sustainable fashion and the environment but are not willing to pay more for a sustainable piece of cloth.

Meanwhile, fast fashion and low-cost manufacturing continue increasing their sales volume. It has the greatest negative impact on the environment, but governments don’t sanction these practices at source, either in their imports or in their sales.