Sustainable fashion shopping behavior in the U.S. - statistics & facts

Sustainability has become a buzzword in fashion retail, with almost all clothing retailers advertising more environmentally friendly products. This has been driven by an increased desire from consumers for sustainable items, as they look to minimize their impact on the environment. In fact, in a worldwide survey, over one quarter of consumers said that they had made a significant change towards buying more sustainable products. When it came to clothing in particular, three-fifths of consumers said that sustainability was at least slightly important when buying apparel, fashion, and footwear. Shoppers in the United States are no exception. There was strong agreement from Americans that the fashion industry both needs to be more environmentally friendly, and that it currently is not doing enough in this regard.

U.S. sustainable fashion purchases

There are multiple incentives for the purchase of sustainable fashion beyond the environmental benefits. When asked for the reasons they purchase eco-friendly fashion items in 2023, Americans also listed the quality, health benefits, and to support projects for a good cause. These qualities motivated sustainability-conscious fashion purchase changes in the United States. For example, almost one third of consumers tried out a new product, and almost one quarter tried out a new shop. Giving up environmentally unfriendly items proved less common however. Only 14 percent of respondents had stopped buying a certain product, and slightly fewer stopped visiting a certain store. Notably, 42 percent of those surveyed had not done any of the listed changes, showing consumers’ behavior does not always align with their sustainable shopping intentions.

Barriers to sustainability

One obstacle towards a more sustainable lifestyle is many U.S. consumers’ desire for a more extended wardrobe. When asked about their attitudes towards sustainable fashion, one third said that they prefer to buy many cheap clothes instead of a few expensive ones. One fifth said that they own many fashion items they never wear. In a separate survey, 58 percent of lifestyle consumers in the U.S. did say that they intended to purchase fewer products for the sake of sustainability, but this was lower than in other countries, such as France, the United Kingdom, and China. This issue is exacerbated by a further barrier, the price of sustainable fashion. 56 percent of fashion consumers in the U.S. said that they somewhat or strongly agreed that environmentally friendly clothes are often too expensive.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Share of consumers who definitely think most people will live sustainably in the next 10 years: 17%

Share of U.S. consumers who have made a significant change towards buying more sustainable products: 25%

Estimated value of the ethical fashion market worldwide: 8.16bn USD

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Revenue share of the sustainable apparel market worldwide from 2013 to 2026

Apparel & Shoes

Revenue share of sustainable apparel worldwide 2013-2026

How important sustainability is to consumers when making purchasing decisions for apparel, fashion, and footwear worldwide in 2022

Fashion & Accessories

Importance of sustainability as purchase criterion for apparel worldwide in 2022

Distribution of consumers in the secondhand apparel market in the United States in 2022, by gender

Fashion & Accessories

Secondhand apparel market consumer distribution in the U.S. 2022, by gender

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Overview

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Industry

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Purchases

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Circular fashion

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Greenwashing

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Key figures

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