Consumer Relationship With Pro-Environmental Apparel Brands Report (Assessment)

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Questionnaire
Conclusion
Reference

Introduction

Sustainable initiatives have recently been of great concern to apparel brands and consumers as the environmental effect of the industry has grown immensely. Even though the international sector is valued at only $3 trillion, apparel production is among the top causes of environmental pollution, which has led to criticism from many people. This can be attributed to a lack of guidance in the field by specialists in environment conservation and preservation. A company can affect not only its surroundings through its products, but through the processes it conducts as well. Individuals have become more attentive to the marketing messages firms are communicating and their integration of pro-environmental initiatives policy. This paper presents a questionnaire that targets to understand how consumers’ intention to buy from a pro-environmental brand is impacted by their knowledge of the effect of apparel and their overall skepticism toward climate change.

Questionnaire

No	Evaluate to what extent you can agree to the statement given below:	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Agree	Strongly agree
	History of Apparel Brands and Sustainability
	Most apparel brands are known to be irresponsible when it comes to taking care of the environment. This can be through the products they manufacture and sell to consumers or the processes they adopt.
	It is only recently that your favorite apparel brand has embraced the idea of sustainability.
	The choice of many apparel brands to focus on sustainability initiatives is only due to the criticism received from the public and not a deliberate choice.
	The apparel industry is among the leading causes of environmental pollution in your country.
	The main reason behind pollution by apparel brands is a lack of environmental stewardship on matters such as excessive landfill waste and the utilization of harmful chemicals.
	History of Consumers and Sustainability
	Apart from apparel brands, consumers, too, have recently gained an understanding of sustainability and pro-environmental initiatives.
	A consumer now is more likely to seek pro-environmental products to buy.
	Consumers are contributing to the increase in interest in considering pro-environmental initiatives by brands by holding them accountable and demanding public disclosure of pro-environmental initiatives policy.
	The importance of disclosing initiatives policy is to allow consumers to prevent wrong products into the market early since it would be difficult to detect harmful items once released to the public.
	Differences in environmental regulations from one country to another are a major reason why consumers find it difficult to understand the effect of their buying choices.
	Skepticism
	Skepticism of climate change by individuals has its basis in how the media shares information on the topic and not necessarily the science behind it.
	Marketing campaigns should be tailored to ensure that the consumer is educated enough about the impact of their purchase decision.
	A section of the consumer base for apparel brands will always be skeptical about the credibility of the message in the advertisements, which is a cause for wrong evaluation.
	The negative criticism of consumers for apparel brands’ marketing initiatives for their pro-environmental products undermines efforts toward the sustainability of the entire apparel industry.
	It is the role of the mainstream media to highlight and educate individuals on the effect and severity of climate change.
	The media can play a major role in dismissing myths and misconceptions about the impact of human activity in relation to climate change.
	The majority of United States citizens believe that their actions cannot affect the environment to the extent it results in climate change.
	Many consumers do not prioritize the effect of a product on the environment when purchasing goods.
	Knowledge of products’ environmental impact can result in lower skepticism of appropriate marketing campaigns by brands and, eventually, higher buying intentions for such products.
	It is difficult for apparel brands to understand how to design their market message as less is known about how individuals evaluate pro-environmental initiatives.
	Since there is debate concerning the extent of climate change and the contribution of human beings toward the same, it is reasonable that scientific knowledge about a product’s impact on the environment, in general, might eliminate skepticism.
	Improving Consumers’ Perception
	It is important to track consumers’ perceptions toward brands’ pro-environmental initiatives to establish and maintain consumer-brand associations.
	Apparel brands should focus on developing trust and loyalty from their consumers to ensure that their messages are received with more positivity.
	The more familiar a brand is to a consumer, the more the latter is willing to accept the marketing campaigns as credible.
	A consumer is less likely to dismiss the products of a familiar apparel brand regardless of their knowledge of the item’s impact on the environment.
	Unfamiliar apparel brands, through proper strategies in communicating their messages, have a chance to compete with familiar brands in terms of consumer choice of product.
	In today’s market, the brand that is able to educate potential consumers better is in a greater position to acquire a larger market share.
	The buying decision of today’s consumers has shifted from how the product makes them feel to how using the item will impact the surroundings in the short term and long term.
	Consumers perform a cost/ benefit analysis before making a buying decision. This involves analyzing whether or not the product has more benefits to the environment than negative effects.
	Apparel brands should invest more in their research departments to inform on the social interactions of consumers and brands’ products in the market.
	The high costs of environmentally friendly products by brands are a cause of negative criticism of their credibility. Most consumers use credibility as they are unable to afford the premium prices of the items.
	Shared value, perceived benefits, as well as behavioral intention, determine the trust and commitment of consumers toward a brand.
	Consumers’ knowledge about the environmental impact of apparel and their skepticism toward climate change are major determinants of their shared value and perceived benefits.
	Word of mouth of negative opinions has the potential to impact the buying decisions of other consumers.
	A consumer who is more knowledgeable about environmental issues in the apparel sector is more concerned about their purchase decisions.
	The above-mentioned consumer makes greater efforts to ensure that their purchases do not cause any harm to the environment.
	There is another section of consumers with the least amount of knowledge concerning the environmental impact of the apparel industry. Apparel brands, in their marketing messages, should aim to focus more on this type of customer.

Conclusion

The paper has presented a questionnaire to understand how consumers’ intention to buy from a pro-environmental brand is impacted by their knowledge of the effect of apparel and their overall skepticism toward climate change. Apparel brands and their consumers are increasingly embracing the idea of sustainable initiatives due to the fact that the apparel industry is responsible for a significant portion of environmental pollution in the world. However, skepticism from some consumers has made it difficult for them to properly evaluate brands’ efforts toward creating environmentally friendly products. It is the responsibility of the media to share information on climate change that will serve as education for such individuals.

Reference

Copeland, L., & Bhaduri, G. (2019). Consumer relationship with pro-environmental apparel brands: Effect of knowledge, skepticism and brand familiarity. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 1-14. Web.

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