| Abstract [eng] |
The textile industry is one of the sectors with the highest environmental impact. According to the European Parliamentary Research Service (2022), less than half of second-hand clothing is currently collected for reuse in the EU, while only 1% of second-hand clothing is recycled. Re-use and re- consumption are the most environmentally friendly solutions to reduce the amount of waste generated by clothing and other textile products. The effectiveness of garment collection initiatives depends on consumer behaviour, and to increase the collection of garments and other textiles, it is necessary to look at consumer behaviour and the factors that motivate it. Clothing disposal behaviour is one of the most relevant research topics due to its significant environmental impacts and its influence on climate change (Cruz-Cardenas and Arevalo-Chavez, 2017; Cruz-Cardenas, Zabelina, Denyneka, Ramos and Palacio-Fierro, 2022). To make sustainability-based decisions for clothing consumers, it is important to identify the factors that determine clothing disposal behaviour. To date, several studies have reviewed these factors from different perspectives, but there are only a few works that analyze the clothing disposal behaviour or intentions of Generation Z consumers. Taking these aspects into account, the final Master’s project addresses the research problem: which factors determine the intentions of Generation Z consumers’ clothing disposal behaviour? The aim of the project – to theoretically and empirically substantiate the determinants of clothing disposal behavioural intentions of Generation Z consumers. Project objectives: 1. To argue the relevance and problematics of understanding the behavioural intentions of Generation Z consumers to clothing disposal. 2. To analyze the concept of disposal behaviour and to highlight the types of disposal behaviour and its factors. 3. Define the characteristics of Generation Z consumption in terms of sustainability. 4. To develop a conceptual model by identifying the factors that determine the disposal behaviour intentions of Generation Z consumers. 5. To empirically validate the conceptual model of the factors determining the behavioural intentions of Generation Z consumers to dispose casual clothing. 6. To summarise the results of the theoretical and empirical research and, based on these results, to provide directions for further research and recommendations for organizations that encourage Generation Z consumers to engage in sustainable clothing disposal behaviour. The main results of the project. A conceptual model of the factors influencing the behavioural intentions of Generation Z consumers to dispose their clothes was developed through a scientific literature analysis. It consists of four factors – attitudes towards clothing disposal, subjective norms, green consumption values, environmental knowledge about clothing, and six behavioural intentions to clothing disposal – selling, donating, reusing, throwing away in waste containers, throwing away in textile containers and delivering to collection points and / or recycling sites. To empirically test the model, an online survey was implemented, with a total of 387 respondents, 372 of whom indicated that they are members of Generation Z, and their responses were included in the further analysis. Taking into account the results of the factor analysis, the four factors of the construct of intention to dispose of clothes – selling, donating and changing the use, throwing away in waste containers, throwing away in textile containers, and delivering to collection points and / or recycling sites – are used in the following research. The most significant influence of attitudes towards the disposal of clothes on the intentions of Generation Z consumers to sell, donate, and reuse unwanted clothes and to dispose them in textile containers is identified, while subjective norms have the biggest influence on the intentions to deliver them to collection points and / or recycling facilities. It is important to note that no impact of the analyzed factors on the intentions of Generation Z consumers to dispose of clothes in an unsustainable way and to dispose them in waste containers was found. Furthermore, green consumption values and environmental knowledge about clothing determine the attitudes of Generation Z consumers toward disposing of clothing. |
