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Op-Ed | What Consumers Really Think About Sustainability

Consumers’ mixed signals on sustainability pose tough but surmountable obstacles for fashion brands, argue Sarah Willersdorf and Robbin Mitchell.
The Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2020 Ready-to-Wear show as part of Paris Fashion Week in September 2019 | Source: Getty Images
By
  • Sarah Willersdorf,
  • Robbin Mitchell

Consumer demand for sustainability is at an all-time high and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. A recent survey of American consumers by Boston Consulting Group found that 75 percent view sustainability as “important” or “very important” with more than one-third reporting they have at some point switched from their preferred brand to a more environmentally friendly alternative. And far from diminishing amid the pandemic, environmental concern is actually on the rise. Seventy percent of respondents are now more aware that our climate is affected by human activity than they were before the crisis began.

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