Public consciousness and willingness to embrace ethical consumption of textile products in Mexico

The geographical distribution and socioeconomic status of the respondents

More than 60 % of respondents are in the age range of 26 to 35 years old, and apparently, more than 40 % are single people living alone or with their partner in free union. This data is consistent with the last population census held in 2010 by Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI) where the percentage of married people was the lowest in all the country with 37.5 % of the population in Mexico City being single and 14.2 % living in free union.

The marital status is an event that is closely associated with age, for example, the proportion of young people who have decided to make a life as a couple is concentrated in the ages of 12–29; 74 of every 100 are single and in this same age range; 23 maintain a life partner and only two of every 100 are separated, divorced or widowed (INEGI 2013).

These changes in the common lifestyle are evidence that the original customs and habits of getting married young or the tradition of living with the parents until marriage have change as a result of higher economic power. This data directly reflects the declining birth rates by 9 % showed from 2008 to 2012. Apparently, people are waiting longer to get married and have children. They are focusing more in their professional careers and quality of life before thinking about starting a family, and this number is expected to increase in the near future (Euromonitor 2013).

As more people are finding it easier and more convenient to live in free union and wait for children longer once they get married, the disposable income in Mexican houses would arguably be continuously increasing; hence, hedonistic and self-centred consumption would be the main concern for this share of the market in the following years.

In terms of employment, more than 80 % of the respondents are either self-employed or employed in the public and private sector, with the later predominating. The rest of the respondents are still studying, and only 2 % is unemployed while others are housewives and retirees.

It is evident in Fig. 4 that 60 % of the respondents belong to the A/B social class (have 16 or more light bulbs in their household), while 38 % belong to the C/C+ and D+ social class (have 6 to 15 light bulbs in a household) and 2 % of respondents have 5 or less light bulbs living in a private room. This represents 79.1 % of Mexican population, and the audience of this research range from lower middle class to upper class. Further analysis of the lives and conditions of their houses is needed for this 2 % in order to avoid classifying them in the E social class given that it is the lowest; otherwise, their answers to this questionnaire would be discarded.

In terms of locations (see Fig. 5), 87 % of the respondents live in Mexico City and the Metropolitan areas surrounding the capital city, where it has been recorded that 12 % of the urban solid waste of all the country is generated (SEMARNAT 2012). It is the place where 21.4 % of the total population of Mexico lives and where most of the C/D social classes are concentrated (INEGI 2013). In terms of municipalities, more than 54 % of the respondents from Mexico City live in five of the boroughs (see Fig. 6) with a higher GDP per capita. This information, along with the number of light bulbs, is crucial to understand that the answers brought by the survey are mainly from a high/middle high class, with higher income and access to higher education, as well as having the basic resources and commodities.

The level of customer perceptions and awareness of textile recycling and reusing (secondhand stores, charity, upcycling, etc.)

It is found in Fig. 7 that most of the respondents understand that sustainable consumption practices involve the actions or activities that makes reasonable use of resources with minimal waste production and that, equally, are economically profitable. These descriptions in general match with the definition of sustainable practices as the activities that meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present but also for generations to come, as specified in Our Common Future, report by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WECD 1987).

More than 85 % indicated that they felt it was important for companies to be worried/concerned about the adoption of sustainable practices, inferring that the concern by these companies somehow transfers as a concern for consumers. These big companies are arguably the greatest generators of waste and deployment of resources.

Most of the respondents show concern about the sustainable consumption behaviour. Around 65 % make a purchase decision while aware of the company’s compromise with the environment and 60 % aware of the working conditions of the company’s employees. More than 71 % consider it useful to be informed on the issues related to sustainable practices for the daily activities, and this means that most of the interviewees lack understanding in the sustainable consumption practices and are unaware of activities to help this matter.

Comparing the number of vintage stores in Mexico’s main cities and metropolitan areas with those in developed countries such as the UK, Spain, or USA, it could be said that this type of business is still growing and it is not as popular as in other countries. Then, it is comprehensible why most of the respondents did not have an idea of the difference between vintage and secondhand clothing. The perception of buying pre worn clothes is still misunderstood as unsanitary.

Also, it is important to notice that 37 % of people that claims to have bought vintage clothes before are generally more involved in the subject and are looking for uniqueness and stylish garments that are not on the high street. As shown in Fig. 4, factors such as differentiation and the search of a specific brand have more relevance than the fact that buying vintage clothing is good for the environment. This is an opportunity to communicate to the consumer about the benefits that would come when buying secondhand clothes, such as exclusivity and lower costs.

The main reason for 51 % of the audiences has never bought a vintage garment (see Fig. 8) is that they have never been to a vintage store, and 21 % of them do not like the idea of wearing a garment that has already been used.

It was shown in the results that a proportion of 33 % of respondents have the experience of purchasing eco-friendly garment(s) before. This percentage shows the low penetration that sustainable clothing has had in this audience, and it represents an opportunity to exploit a market that is concerned about the environment but has very few options to choose from. However, when further investigating the reasons why people made the purchasing of eco-friendly garment(s) (see Fig. 9), it is found that only 37 % of such purchases (i.e. only 12 % of total respondents) are driven with an environmental friendly awareness, the rest of the driving force of the rest of purchasing is due to fashionable factors (e.g. style, colour and quality). Therefore, there is large room for educating consumers on the eco-friendly awareness and behaviour.

Customer disposal behaviours and consumption patterns with textile wastes

When asking about clothing disposal habits, more than half of the respondents answered that they clean their closet more than once a year and when they do this, most of them take the clothes to charity or give them to a friend or familiar who can reuse them. It is also important to notice that most of the people that donate to charity take the clothes to orphanages, domestic employees or homeless people in the street and most of them take the clothes personally to these places or to these people. Is clear that more than half of the respondents are worried about where to take clothes for a closed loop life, but it could be difficult and time consuming to look for a place or person that takes them.

In terms of consumption behaviour (see Fig. 10), the three main factors that the respondents think are essential to take into consideration while buying new clothes in order of importance are price, quality and style or design. Not surprisingly, only 5.3 % chose the environmentally friendly factor as one of the main three and only 4.4 % seem to care about fair trade practices. Additionally, when asked if they consider the consequences of their purchase on the environment, only 21.1 % answered they did. Apparently, most of the respondents are not aware of the impact of garment production and the waste of resources that this implies, not even if the garment ends up in the landfill and the consequences of this happening.

It appears contradictory that 85 % of the respondents think that clothing companies should worry about developing sustainable practices, but when asked if they think about the consequences of their purchases, almost 80 % of people said that they do not take in consideration the effects in the environment. It can be implied that the concern for the environment is generally left for government and companies as part of their social responsibilities, as they are big corporations and they should be the ones in charge of caring for these matters.

Willingness to engage in recycling activities

It is found that 96 % of respondents have either a very strong or strong interest in the care of the environment. Apparently, the consumers are aware that there are actions to be taken, and this data matches with the survey done in 2011 by INEGI where it was shown that 85.8 % of the interviewees between 18 and 65 years old were concerned about different topics affecting the environment they lived in, showing that all of these respondents have been affected at least by one problem such as air pollution, excessive traffic or garbage in the streets. It is noticed in INEGI’s research (INEGI 2013) that only 35 % actively participate in activities to care of the environment and 57 % of them know the consequences of climate change, this might be due to the fact that 58 % of their interviewees only have basic or none education at all. In our research, it is found that 73 % of the respondents take sustainable actions to preserve natural resources and to avoid waste of energy and they mainly recycle or reuse the waste paper, plastic and clothes in their home and office. The main reasons for those who do not recycle are the lack of information of recycling culture, followed by absence of containers and lack of time. One respondent mentioned that economic benefits are the main motivations for him/her to take any sustainable actions. Apparently, there is a niche of a younger audience that seeks rewards or added value in their buying and by all means would not be motivated to pay more to be a sustainable consumer.

In order to identify the recycling habits and use of bins, the respondents were asked about the availability and use of recycling containers near their house and office/school. It is found that more than 78 % of the respondents believe there are not enough bins near their house, and 62.6 % believe that there are not enough bins near their school or office. When asked if they use the bins available, more than 68 % said that they have used or would use them, but in general terms, more than half of the respondents think that it is either hard or slightly hard to take the waste to these containers, most probably because of the distance to reach them or the conditions of those containers.

Willingness to collaborate with brands

To identify the willingness of the audience to different sustainable products, there were different questions concerning diverse products that involved recycling of textiles and garments (see Fig. 11). When asked if they would buy a product made from recycled fabrics, the answer was really positive. Additionally, the answer was quite similar when asking if they would buy a product that has been upcycled with the use of several secondhand garments, with the factor of design being the main reason for their purchase followed by sustainability with 29 % of the answers.

In terms of participation of the target audience in the collection of garments for recycling (see Fig. 12), the level of willingness to take the garments to a collection centre is quite high with 59.1 % of the respondents being totally willing to participate if this means that they would be helping the environment or a low-income community for sustenance and 39.8 % being really motivated if that means getting a discount for a future purchase.

Furthermore, respondents where less excited about buying clothes made only from secondhand clothes and even less motivated to pay more for the garments even if this means that they would be helping to work in fair and healthy working conditions and the preservation of the environment.

(Note: In Y-axis, 10 is the greatest willingness to support various sustainable activities and 0 is the least willingness to support various sustainable activities.)

Evaluation of this pilot study

Although collecting data from a much larger cohort would be desirable in the first instance, this pilot study involved a comparatively small number of participants. However, the relatively smaller sampling size do not affect the reliability of the conclusions drawn from this research as explained in the section of “Research methodology”, and this might also lay down a solid basis and guide for the future full scale of investigation and their survey design. All of the indicators from this pilot study give a good degree of confidence in terms of extending the study.

It is evident that there is positive attitudinal inclination among the selected demographic of willingness to be actively involved in some aspect(s) of ethical consumption. The data collected from the demographic cohort involved in this research, who have indicated both awareness and willingness to be part of a shift to more ethical consumption, seems both justifiable and appropriate given their increase in disposable income and disposition to spend this disposable income on fast fashion and textile goods. There are some indications that the targeted demographic demonstrate inclination to help but are unaware of the options available and in place within specified cities and regions of Mexico. Extending the study to examine the target demographics’ actions in terms of providing trial options of a variety of disposal activities of their textile and fast fashion waste could help determine a viable option moving forward. In addition, a longitudinal study to test a range of educational strategies about the issues of ethical consumption and disposal of textiles seems worthy of further study.

It is arguably not an easy job to extend the benefits of ethical consumption as broad as demographic as possible, given that a cultural shift is somewhat challenging, especially in conservative countries that take a while to embrace change including governmental interrogation on the scope of issues raised and their willingness to be part of the ideas expressed in this study also merit further study and enquiry.

This is in power of the government, profit and non-profit organizations, new designers and entrepreneurs to offer a collective set of sustainable alternatives with different propositions that would attract all segments of the population to contribute. Either to purchase products or dispose them at the end of their use, consumers need a variety of options to choose from. Furthering the study to investigate a range of options for the disposal and end of use of textile products is both worthy of further study, and Mexico as a growing economy seems suited as a context for further exploration. Therefore, measures are suggested in the next section to develop ethical consumption of textiles in Mexico.

Marketing strategy for sustainable activity programmes

As a green brand trying to successfully gain brand equity, it is important to establish a corporate brand personality that exposes three dimensional values: heart, body and mind. Characteristics as passion, compassion, creativity, discipline, agility and collaboration are fundamental as brand personality traits in order to gain and maintain the desire brand image and afford to change consumer’s perspective about sustainability (Keller and Richey 2006). Furthermore, the eco-textile market is constantly affected by consumers’ attitudes that associate them with negative associations; thus, it is important to reduce this prejudgements and to develop a positive attitude towards green textiles with the proper use of branding that includes a clear informational process where the customers are aware of the origin and procedures that took to manufacture a sustainable product (Lorek and Lucas 2003).

It is essential to communicate a brand personality that stands for changing the way the regular brands talk to the audience by promoting a conscious lifestyle instead of compulsive consumption behaviour. Additionally, an educational communication campaign that intents to promote the culture of recycling will allow changing the perspectives of the stakeholders in the search for reducing the volume of textile waste.

According to Green and Peloza (2011), there are three different approaches to creating brand values for the customer with the use of CSR: emotional, social and functional. These values will be the drivers to create a purchase decision, either by themselves or combined and the level of importance would change depending on the environment and background of the customer. In this research, it was also found that the functional values of a sustainable product are still in top of the mind of the socially responsible customer, especially in difficult economic times, followed by emotional and social values that will be achieved by intangible assets that will provide sense of goodwill and social acceptance (Green and Peloza 2011).

The marketing strategy for any sustainable company or organization that wants to trigger sustainable lifestyles, in general, needs to focus on influencing social behaviours to benefit the target audience and the general society (Madill and Ziegler 2012). In response to the findings from this study, the objective of the branding process is to develop a social responsible corporate brand whose main purpose/goal is the collection of post-consumer garments or textiles to give them a new life. By recycling, reusing or upcycling the garment, the organization’s main purpose would be to add value and lifetime to every textile product recollected. The benefits provided to the different stakeholders would be vast, as well as the main help to the environment preserve. Furthermore, this initiative also supports the lower social class through providing opportunities to acquire skills and make profits for economic support of the family.

The establishment and development of the brand will involve the cooperation and mutual understanding of the current governmental activities, such as ‘The Green Plan’ (Plan Verde) and ‘Tu Ola’ programme, in order to obtain the textile waste with the use of collecting initiatives as well as up keeping the recycling culture. These organizations have recently established the parameters for waste exchange and reward programmes that encourage citizens to participate by separating their waste and delivering it in the monthly market that collects it.

With the ideal communication tools and approach to the desired target markets, the customer will understand the value of helping with the preservation of the environment and of supporting vulnerable communities to increase their income and quality of life (Lefebvre 2009).

Target audience and stakeholders

A non-profit organisation that performs in a continuous flow of goods would eventually need to reach and persuade very different audiences, from donors, volunteers, buyers, switchers and investors to craft communities or other communities that would benefit from the profits made. This entire group needs a different approach to communicate to their stakeholders. It all begins with the donors of clothing and textiles. As previously discussed, the group that would make a substantial impact for this cause are the young affluent consumer, who has the potential to be the biggest consumer from the more affluent strata of the society. This group is also usually sensitive to ethical issues (Horne and Maddrell 2002), so it is important to communicate a clear message to them, trying to use the most common touch points to reach them, such as social media, websites, online shops and public events.

Possible brand extensions

Brand extensions are well tested in many market sectors and with these successes in mind, it would be certainly worthy of some trials being conducted in terms of the addition of textiles being added to these brand successes. The participants were questioned about this new textile brand being an extension of the currently successful initiative for the itinerant exchange market (Mercado de Trueque) and the Tu Ola initiative which has the advantage of government support. The survey results indicated that the targeted classes of participants would be open to a new reused/recycled and upcycled brand that deals with textile products.