Climate Change Affects Textile Sustainability

Climate change has been ranked third on the list of sixteen modern day worries on the minds of today’s consumers that affects textile sustainability, according to a recent ground-breaking, global, quantitative consumer survey by Oeko-Tex Association, “The Key to Confidence: Consumers and Textile Sustainability- Attitudes, Changing Behaviours, and Outlooks.”

“The Key to Confidence” online study was conducted earlier this year with a worldwide sample of more than 11,000 clothing and home textile consumers. Designed and administered by global brand and sustainability research expert, Ellen Karp of Anerca International, the extensive study explored a broad assortment of consumer attitudes about textile sustainability including harmful substances, the industry’s environmental impact, and the social welfare of textile workers.

Prior to answering questions about clothing and home textiles in particular, consumers responded to several queries to gauge their attitudes about sustainability in general. To understand the relative importance of climate change, consumers were asked to pick the top five issues that worry them most from a list of sixteen political, economic, personal, and global problems. “Terrorism” ranked first with 49 per cent of consumers listing it in their top 5, “illness and disease” was second with 42 per cent, and “climate change” rated third with 41 per cent. “My personal finances” came in fourth at 37 per cent. “Opportunities for my children in the future” and “the political leadership in my country” tied for fifth with 31 per cent each.