Awareness of a more sustainable approach to fashion has grown “significantly” in Germany, according to a study published by the environmental organization Greenpeace on Wednesday.
Compared to the last survey seven years ago, there are fewer items of clothing in the closet and people are willing to wear them longer.
People are willing to buy less fashion
Today, two-thirds of the German population are willing to buy fewer new clothes – and the vast majority of 85 percent intend to wear existing clothes longer. In addition, climate and environmental protection has become an important motivation for more sustainable fashion management for well over half of the population.
“This new awareness has already found its way into everyday behavior in Germany,” writes Greenpeace.
This is reflected in the increasing demand for second-hand fashion. Almost half of Germans buy second-hand clothing. 40 percent of people can imagine using more clothes instead of buying new ones.
Borrowing clothes from a private individual is conceivable for a quarter of those surveyed, and a fifth can imagine borrowing from companies.
Repair remains an exception
But plans and reality continue to diverge.
More than half of people say they have never bought second-hand clothes. Throwing away or passing it on remains the norm – more than 85 percent of Germans say they have thrown away clothes in the past six months. Textiles make up 3.5 percent of German household waste.
Fewer people dispose of used clothing in old clothing containers, compared to 2015 about 8 percent less. In contrast, almost half (49 percent) regularly sell used clothing – 5 percent more than ten years ago.
People still have a hard time repairing clothes and shoes. Three years ago, 63 percent of those surveyed by Greenpeace said they wanted to have their clothes repaired, in 2022 only 50 percent had done it once. When repairing their own, 55 percent took it upon themselves three years ago, and 51 percent have done it once so far.
Less clothes in the closet
The number of items of clothing in the closet of Germans is decreasing: in 2015 there were still 95 items per person, in 2022 there will be 6.5 percent fewer and an average of 87 items. In 2022, women will still have more items with 107 items than men with 68. Overall, there are around 340 million fewer items of clothing in the closet. In particular, the group of 18 to 29-year-old women has reduced its population – from 92 to 74 within seven years.
Dresses are also worn significantly longer before they are sorted out. Almost two thirds state that they have worn tops and trousers for more than three years. More than 79 percent of those surveyed keep their jackets and coats in their closet for more than three years. Only shoes remain disposable: one in eight wears them less than a year, 43 percent of people discard them after one to three years.
How much can be consumed?
“It is a good development that German consumer behavior is going against the industry trend,” said Viola Wohlgemuth, resource protection expert from Greenpeace, in the statement. The environmental organization took a close look at consumer behavior in Germany in view of Earth Overshoot Day on Thursday.
The day marks the point in the year when humanity consumes more natural resources than are actually available that year. The day is earlier than last year, according to calculations by the Global Footprint Network based in the USA and Switzerland.
“For a sustainable consumption of clothing, only 40 percent newly produced and 60 percent recycled fashion should hang in the German wardrobe from 2035,” said Wohlgemuth. “To do this, textile retailers must consistently become textile service providers. We need the right laws so that borrow, share, fix and second-hand become the new normal.”
For the survey, the institute conducted Nuggets Market Research & Consulting GmbH in June 2022 on behalf of Greenpeace. 1002 people between the ages of 18 and 69 were interviewed in Germany. “The representative surveys from 2015 and 2019 were also conducted by Nuggets,” said Greenpeace. (FashionUnited/dpa)