Business of fashion sustainability index

: an analysis on willingness to pay, perceived quality and purchase intention

Abstract

Textile, clothing, and fashion (TCF) industry is one of the most polluting and resourceconsuming industries in the world, second only to the oil industry. In response to social andenvironmental issues in the fashion industry and pressure from various stakeholders, companiesare addressing sustainability issues more than ever. The launch of the Business of FashionSustainability Index, which provides information about companies' performance onsustainability goals, is an effort to raise consumer awareness of the practises behind the productsthey buy.The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how the BoF Sustainability Indexinfluences consumer purchasing decisions for fashion items. More specifically, an experimentalprocedure was used to test the effects of BoF Sustainability Index information (high, low, andno information) on fashion product consumption, namely willingness to pay, perceived quality,and intention to purchase footwear. In addition, the effects of demographic variables such asgender, generation, and nationality were also considered.According to the results, the sustainability index influences consumers' willingness to pay,perceived quality, and purchase intention. In general, attitudes toward SI were very positivelyreceived by respondents and considered beneficial. The socio-demographic variables used inthis experiment were key to understanding the effects of the manipulated variables on thedependent variables.

Date of Award	3 May 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Sérgio Paulo Moreira (Supervisor)