Submitted Successfully!
To reward your contribution, here is a gift for you: A free trial for our video production service.
Thank you for your contribution! You can also upload a video entry or images related to this topic.
Version Summary Created by Modification Content Size Created at Operation
1
Liling Cai
 -- 1272 2022-05-27 03:02:33 |
2 Reference format revised.
Lindsay Dong
 -3 word(s) 1269 2022-05-27 05:03:20 |

Video Upload Options

Do you have a full video?
Send video materials Upload full video

Confirm

Are you sure to Delete?
Yes No
Cite
If you have any further questions, please contact Encyclopedia Editorial Office.
Cai, L.; Hasan, M.M.; Ji, X.; Ocran, F.M. Eco-Friendly Clothing Market in Bangladesh. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/23461 (accessed on 29 April 2024).
Cai L, Hasan MM, Ji X, Ocran FM. Eco-Friendly Clothing Market in Bangladesh. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/23461. Accessed April 29, 2024.
Cai, Liling, Md Mehedi Hasan, Xiaofen Ji, Francisca Margarita Ocran. "Eco-Friendly Clothing Market in Bangladesh" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/23461 (accessed April 29, 2024).
Cai, L., Hasan, M.M., Ji, X., & Ocran, F.M. (2022, May 27). Eco-Friendly Clothing Market in Bangladesh. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/23461
Cai, Liling, et al. "Eco-Friendly Clothing Market in Bangladesh." Encyclopedia. Web. 27 May, 2022.
Eco-Friendly Clothing Market in Bangladesh
Edit
This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/su14084827

Organic cotton clothing development in the fashion industry could play an important role in textile and environmental pollution and create new business opportunities for green clothes.  Consumer environmental concerns and consumer attitudes positively impact the OCC purchase willingness of Bangladeshi consumers. Also, the authenticity and fashionable of OCC products have a significant impact on Bangladeshi consumer purchase intention. Product Performance found an indirect effect on Bangladeshi consumers’ intention. 

organic cotton clothing (OCC) purchase willingness sustainable clothing

1. Introductions

Different types of unsustainable consumption patterns in today’s world face several environmental problems such as pollution, greenhouse gas, global warming, etc. It’s now become a global issue [1]. The textile and fashion industry is one of the environmental polluters in the industrial sectors [2]. For covering our bodies from weather and other social purposes, human beings use natural materials found in the environment. Nowadays, these natural materials are used in different products and have different types of applications. Cotton is the most widely recognized fiber as well as widely used raw material in this textiles industry. Except for a few artificial fibers, this industry is based on different types of cotton. People get cotton through agriculture system. In the modern days, many things are involved in the agriculture system that has serious effects on the environment. Cotton consumption increases every year, with world cotton consumption growing 2.66 percent in the 2021-22 seasons [3]. Naturally grown cotton does not harm the environment unless fertilizers, pesticides, and other harmful chemicals are used [4]. But now, the use of fast-growing cotton and the production of traditional cotton fiber using various chemicals harms the soil, water, and air, resulting in pollution of the environment [5]. Organic agricultural practices advance a more secure, eco-friendly and do not harm living creatures; organic fertilizers, natural pesticides, and insecticides are used [6]. So, organic cotton is much better for farmers, consumers, and all living things.
According to the US Census Bureau, the current world population is 7.8 billion [7], and UN DESA predicted 8.5 billion by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050 [8]. According to current solutions, people need to have cloth and cotton consumption, and demand will increase. One of the most challenging issues is global warming and climate changes directly connected with CO2 emissions [9]. 1.22 to 2.93 billion tonnes of CO2 are added to environment by textile industries. The carbon footprint of cotton is a remarkable top, around 2–4 t per hectare. On the other side, compared to traditional cotton, organic cotton has 40% less “global warming potential” and suggests a 91% reduction in natural water consumption [10]. In this situation, scholars strongly believe Organic cotton clothing practice can be one of the great solutions for this industry, making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Not only in western developed countries but also in developing countries like Bangladesh. Because many recent studies on sustainable development and the green movement are based on western developed countries while less intention on developing countries such as Bangladesh [5]. Sustainable fashion practice offers a way to solve many environmental problems related to production and fashion consumption [11].
Recent studies on consumer willingness to purchase behavior find that growing awareness and environmental concerns influenced consumer purchase decisions on organic clothing cotton [12]. Scholars believe that consumers can influence the transformation of fashion companies towards sustainability through their purchasing decisions [13]. Also, the fashion industry should be aware of environmental safety, human safety, and other remarkable corporate social responsibilities. A study on European consumers believed that fashion brands should take the challenge this climate change and environmental protection [5].In many developed countries, fashion retailers focus on organic clothing products to increase their market share [14]. Many renowned brands and retailers were making a profit from organic clothing. Brands like Nike, H&M, C&A, and Wal-Mart have introduced 100% organic materials [15]. ‘2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge’ from May 2017 textile industry motivate clothing brands and retailers to make 100% of the cotton they use come from sustainable sources by 2025 [16]. Clothing Companies should reduce their environmental carbon footprint; in many ways, ethical sales are growing but not enough categories in the market [12]. Consumer willingness depends on many things; relevant literature from previous research summarizes that high product costs, less choice, aesthetic difficulties, the credibility of information, and uncertainty about the actual environmental benefits were the main limitation for consumers to purchase eco-friendly products, including clothing [12]. Consumer demand for green products is also connected with price and income strategies, especially green products on the market sold at a higher price than regular products (Wilson and Ilartsen, 2010) [17]. However, nowadays, environmentally concerned consumers are growing and they are shown to pay a premium price for eco-friendly products [18]. Boks And Stevels indicate that consumers are willing to buy green products when their income and budget increases [19]. A study on organically grown products (OGPs) already proved that monthly household income is statistically significant and positively influences the consumer purchase intentions of organically grown food products [20].

2. Eco-Friendly Clothing Market in Bangladesh

Economic growth changes rapidly, and most manufacturing units are developed in underdeveloped countries. Environmental issues are not a priority in developing countries, but they are a significant threat to the world [4]. World population ranking Bangladesh is now world rank 8 [21], besides Bangladesh also 2nd largest clothing manufacture whole over the world [5]. According to the world bank, this COVID-19 limitation Bangladesh’s economic growth rates pick up to 6.9 percent in the year 2021, and last decade fastest-growing economy in the world [22]. According to overall economic growth, Bangladesh’s domestic market size is also increasing, and some global brands are already active in the Bangladeshi market. This includes the German leading sports brand Puma, and the popular Japanese brand Uniqlo which started their retail business in Bangladesh a few years ago [23]. Similarly, in the last decades, several local brands have had strong positions in the Bangladeshi market like ‘sailor’, ‘yellow’, ‘Aarong’ and other brands which are doing well, and these brands are also undertaking sustainable initiatives. For example, ‘sailor’ and ‘Aarong’ are introducing natural cotton examples: organic cotton, Bamboo fiber and Jute fiber products. Therefore, organic products and their impact on the environment has always been an important research topic.

Consumers have a positive attitude toward purchasing organic products. The study suggests that retailers create consumer attitudes towards organic clothing products and increase consumers’ purchase intention for organic clothing products [14]. Hae Jin Gam also studies mothers’ willingness to purchase OCC for childrens’ product segment. The result found that mothers’ environmental concerns significantly impact their involvement in OCC, significantly influencing mothers’ willingness to purchase OCC [12]. In a case study on organic cotton clothing in Hawaiian consumers, Lin’s also discussed and found that consumers are willing to pay more when consumers are more concerned about protecting the environment or involved in environmental issues [24]. Gwendolyn Hustvedt [25], has shown that consumers are motivated by their belief in the benefits of buying organic clothing. It is clear that it explains how organic cotton clothing supports organic farming; it is another way to promote the environmental benefits of buying organic cotton clothing. Previous studies on similar topics, green eco-friendly marketing, and consumer purchase behavior mentioned that intricacy of information, product advantages, functional benefits and positioning of green products, and the celerity of environmental effects benefits were the crucial barriers to purchasing eco-friendly products [26].

Consumer purchasing power and economic growth are also important factors in their purchase decision, especially organic clothing, as many researchers mentioned that green products are usually available in the market at a higher price, and when consumers’ income increases, their shopping budget also increases. Researchers point out that consumers are more interested in purchasing green products when their income and budget increase [27]. Consumers are willing to pay more for green and renewable products when they are aware of the environmental advantages [28].

References

  1. Mahmoud, T.O. Impact of green marketing mix on purchase intention. Int. J. Adv. Appl. Sci. 2018, 5, 127–135.
  2. Taljaard, H.; Sonnenberg, N.C.; Jacobs, B.M. Factors motivating male consumers’ eco-friendly apparel acquisition in the South African emerging market. Int. J. Consum. Stud. 2018, 42, 461–468.
  3. Global Cotton Production & Consumption to Improve: TexPro. Available online: http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/global-cotton-production-consumption-to-improve-texpro-277436-newsdetails.htm (accessed on 16 April 2022).
  4. Ali, M.A.; Sarwar, M. Sustainable and Environmental Freindly Fibers in Textile Fashion (A Study of Organic Cotton and Bamboo Fibers). Master’s Thesis, University of Borås, Borås, Swiden, 2010. Available online: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Sustainable-and-Environmental-freindly-fibers-in-(A-Ali-Sarwar/6d263e1621c8ef3814a8e8d7f5ce3ab4f5bbae89 (accessed on 20 February 2022).
  5. Hasan, M.N.U.; Liu, C.; Ahmed, B. Organic Cotton Clothing Purchase Behavior: A Comparative Study of Consumers in the United States and Bangladesh. Textiles 2021, 1, 376–386.
  6. Kumar, P.S.; Yaashikaa, P.R. Organic Cotton and Its Environmental Impacts. In Organic Cotton; Gardetti, M.A., Muthu, S.S., Eds.; Textile Science and Clothing Technology; Springer: Singapore, 2019; pp. 127–139. ISBN 978-981-10-8781-3.
  7. World Population Surged 74 mn in 2021, Expected to be 7.8 bn: Report. Business Standard India. 2021. Available online: https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/world-population-surged-74-mn-in-2021-expected-to-be-7-8-bn-report-121123101389_1.html (accessed on 17 January 2022).
  8. The World Population Prospects: 2015 Revision. 2015. Available online: https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/publications/world-population-prospects-2015-revision.html (accessed on 17 January 2022).
  9. Ali, K.A.; Ahmad, M.I.; Yusup, Y. Issues, Impacts, and Mitigations of Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Building Sector. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7427.
  10. Clothes and Climate: Is Cotton Best? Available online: https://ejfoundation.org/news-media/clothes-and-climate-is-cotton-best (accessed on 17 January 2022).
  11. Hasanspahic, M. Sustainable Fashion-Practices, Strategies, and Meanings. 2016. Available online: http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8879292 (accessed on 20 February 2022).
  12. Gam, H.J.; Cao, H.; Farr, C.; Kang, M. Quest for the ecoapparel market: A study of mothers’ willingness to purchase organic cotton clothing for their children. Int. J. Consum. Stud. 2010, 34, 648–656.
  13. Blasi, S.; Brigato, L.; Sedita, S.R. Eco-friendliness and fashion perceptual attributes of fashion brands: An analysis of consumers’ perceptions based on twitter data mining. J. Clean. Prod. 2020, 244, 118701.
  14. Abrar, M.; Baig, S.A.; Bashir, M.; Shabbir, R.; Ayub, M. Consumer attitude and purchase intention towards organic textile products. Amazon. Investig. 2018, 7, 472–485.
  15. Maloney, J.; Lee, M.-Y.; Jackson, V.; Miller-Spillman, K.A. Consumer willingness to purchase organic products: Application of the theory of planned behavior. J. Glob. Fash. Mark. 2014, 5, 308–321.
  16. 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge-Textile Exchange. Available online: https://textileexchange.org/2025-sustainable-cotton-challenge/ (accessed on 19 January 2022).
  17. Wilson, J.W.; Eilertsen, S. How did strategic planning help during the economic crisis? Strategy Leadersh. 2010, 38, 5–14.
  18. Chi, T.; Gerard, J.; Dephillips, A.; Liu, H.; Sun, J. Why U.S. Consumers Buy Sustainable Cotton Made Collegiate Apparel? A Study of the Key Determinants. Sustainability 2019, 11, 3126.
  19. Boks, C.; Stevels, A. Theory and practice of environmental benchmarking in a major consumer electronics company. Benchmarking Int. J. 2003, 10, 120–135.
  20. Wekeza, S.; Sibanda, M. Factors Influencing Consumer Purchase Intentions of Organically Grown Products in Shelly Centre, Port Shepstone, South Africa. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public. Health 2019, 16, 956.
  21. Bangladesh Population (2022)–Worldometer. 2022. Available online: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/bangladesh-population/ (accessed on 18 January 2022).
  22. Overview. Available online: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh/overview (accessed on 20 January 2022).
  23. Local and Foreign Fashion Brands in a Race to Grab Bangladesh Market. Textile News, Apparel News, RMG News, Fashion Trends. 2019. Available online: https://www.textiletoday.com.bd/local-and-foreign-fashion-brands-in-a-race-to-grab-bangladesh-market/ (accessed on 20 January 2022).
  24. Lin, S.-H. A case study in Hawaii: Who will pay more for organic cotton?: Organic cotton. Int. J. Consum. Stud. 2010, 34, 481–489.
  25. Hustvedt, G.; Dickson, M.A. Consumer likelihood of purchasing organic cotton apparel: Influence of attitudes and self-identity. J. Fash. Mark. Manag. Int. J. 2009, 13, 49–65.
  26. Meyer, A. What’s in it for the customers? Successfully marketing green clothes. Bus. Strategy Environ. 2001, 10, 317–330.
  27. Wang, C.C.; Tsai, S. Consumer Attitudes towards Sustainable and Environmental Strategies in Fashion Clothing. Master’s Thesis, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK, 2010.
  28. Weiner, H.E. Wearing your Ethics: Investigating Consumer Purchase Intention of Ethically Produced Fashion Products. Master’s Thesis, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA, 2017.
More
© Text is available under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Upload a video for this entry
Information
Subjects: Business
Contributors MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register :
Liling Cai
,
MD Mehedi Hasan
,
Xiaofen Ji
,
Francisca Margarita Ocran
View Times: 2.4K
Revisions: 2 times (View History)
Update Date: 27 May 2022
Table of Contents
    1000/1000
    Hot Most Recent
    Feedback