Age trumps gender, income and postcode for consumers' clothing habits in Australia

The first-ever nationwide study into how Australians use and dispose of clothing has revealed people are buying too many clothes and are unsure how to discard them responsibly.

Conducted by RMIT University and commissioned by the Kmart Group and the Queensland Government, a study of 3,080 Australians explored how they acquired, used and disposed of their clothing.

Australians are among the world's biggest clothing consumers, importing 1.4 billion units or over 383,000 tonnes annually. But each year, more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing is sent to landfill.

The authors recommend establishing a national textile collection program for unwearable clothing that could be recycled, to prevent items being unnecessarily sent to landfill.

Across all findings, age was the most significant factor in determining consumer clothing practices, surpassing gender, income bracket and location. Young Australians, aged 18–34, were more likely to buy second-hand, repair, resell or share clothes but tended to have large collections of unused clothing that were no longer in style.

Older Australians were more likely to donate clothing they no longer wanted, though were less likely to buy second-hand.

Lead author RMIT Professor Alice Payne said although Australians buy too many clothes, there are some things we do well.

"Compared to European data, Australians are better at shopping second-hand and washing clothes responsibly," said Payne, Dean of RMIT's School of Fashion and Textiles. "Brands and retailers must create higher-quality products that endure both fashion trends and wear."

Happy to donate but confused about responsible disposal

Most Australians donate unwanted but otherwise good clothes, with 87% of consumers indicating they donate unwanted clothing to charity. The findings also show consumers are confused about where and how to responsibly discard clothing that can no longer be worn.

Fifty-one percent throw away worn-out or significantly damaged clothes in the general waste bin and 30% in the household recycle bin at least half of the time.

Payne said consumers need more durable products and a national textile recycling scheme, which were key recommendations in the report.

"Our research found consumers clear out their wardrobes once or twice a year, and strategically timed collection drives for this clothing could work well," she said.

Kmart Group's Head of Sustainability, Blake Lindley, said the findings speak to the company's commitment to a sustainable textiles industry.

"This landmark study provides us with the vital data we need in order to develop and invest in evidence-based programs and initiatives that will directly and measurably reduce the amount of clothing that ends up in landfill," he said. "We know our customers want to do the right thing. As one of Australia's largest retailers we have an important role to play; we're committed to developing and being part of the right solutions that have a material impact on fashion waste."

Second-hand sellers deserve government help

Co-author Professor Simon Pervan from RMIT's Graduate School of Business and Law said governments could step in by supporting second-hand clothing sellers.

"Businesses who resell clothing should be financially supported through grants, investments or financial incentives," he said. "These circular business models exist in the market but need a helping hand to scale up and boost capacity."

Consider repairing your clothes

About one in three consumers preferred to repair clothing themselves or take it to a professional repairer, particularly if they had paid a higher price or felt emotionally attached.

Payne said Australians were open to repairing their clothes but often did not know how.

"We need clothing education programs, focused on boosting Australians' clothing repair skills and confidence," she said. "This could be through supporting initiatives such as community repair cafes and embedding skills into school curriculums."

Next steps

Payne said while textile recycling options were currently limited, there were still things we can do.

"Buying fewer new clothes and keeping them in use for as long as possible will go a long way," she said. "Try to use unwearable clothes around the house as rags or repurpose in other ways, and when the time comes, dispose of them responsibly by sending for recycling."

The study also identified three types of Australian personas with respect to their clothing practices, which can help industry and government engage with consumers.

Co-authors include Alice Payne, Xinru (Angie) Jiang, Paige Street, Mark Leenders, Ninh Nguyen, Simon Pervan and Carol Tan.

More information:
Report: Keeping Clothes Out of Landfill: A landscape survey of Australian consumer practices

Provided by RMIT University