How to motivate Chinese millennials gen-z to treat their unwanted clothes for second use instead of directly dithering or throwing aways these clothes?

In this project, both primary and secondary data have been used to support the direction of the project to ensure that it can be meaningful and that its findings can be reliable.

Firstly, when it comes to the collect of primary data, it is mostly done with interviews. According to Briggs (1996), interview as a research method is one of the most used and most effective tools to collect data in social science is an interview (Briggs, 1986). At the same time, what makes interview an even better approach to collect primary data is that the interview is also along with achieving a goal of understanding the perspectives or experiences of participants (Kvale, 2008). Hence, in this research study, interviews have been conducted as the most important way to collect the primary data. In detail, Braun and Clarke (2013) mentioned that in a research study where interview is used as the major approach to collect primary data, it is the practice that at least 6 participants who are properly selected should be included in the thematic analysis for social science studies so that the findings can be generalized and representative enough. Therefore, in this research study, the researchers tried to include that the interviews could include as many participants as possible.

As a matter of fact, in the interview for primary data, both qualitative data and quantitative data have been used. For example, in the interview with 20 interviews, qualitative data were used to measure how popular the concept of sustainable fashion was among young people today. In the meantime, there were also qualitative data collected, such as people’s attitudes towards second-hand use of clothes and accessories. According to Braun and Clarke (2006), interview as a qualitative approach for primary data stands out because it can identify, analyze, organize, describe and report topics in qualitative data sets, which then allow the researchers to have a high degree of flexibility and a more understandable analysis form.

In the meantime, in addition to the primary data, secondary data were also collected in this project. In terms of the major method used to collect secondary data, it is a search based on existing literature on current studies related to the sustainable culture of second-hand use of clothes and accessories through education and information dissemination. In other words, it is an examination based on existing literature. In accordance with Bhatasana (1999), a look at existing literature on any given topics allows project authors to develop a fruitful understanding of the subjects that they are studying, such as existing knowledge as well as inconsistencies in the field. This makes such secondary data important for the project because they can guide the direction of the project while serving as an important reference.

The secondary data collected based on existing literature also include both primary data and secondary data. These data have also been important for this study to set its directions and identity key issues related to second-hand use of clothes and accessories. These findings as well how they have enabled the project to do so will be presented in the next section.

Bibliography

Bhatasana, V.K. (1999). Appraisal at financial Performance of State Bank of India. Ph.D. Thesis Saurashtra University, Rajkot.

Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), pp.77-101.

Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. London, United Kingdom: SAGE.

Briggs, C.L. (1986). Learning how to ask: a sociolinguistic appraisal of the role of the interview in social science research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kvale, S. (2008). Doing interviews. London: Sage.

In terms of the research question for this project, based on the subject matter, it is “How to motivate millennials gen-z to treat their unwanted clothes for second use instead of directly dithering or throwing aways these clothes?” The reason for this research question is as the following.

First of all, so far, there have been ample research studies focusing on ethical consumption in the fashion industry suggesting that cultural barriers, insufficient consumer interests, as well as lack of awareness are the major obstacles (Kirchherr et al., 2018). To be more specific, for many customers, used clothes or secondary clothes are still something that they are not familiar with or something that they just see on mass media (Van Weelden et al., 2016). In addition, the quality of used clothes in the eyes of customers is inferior to new clothing and accessory products (Van Weelden et al., 2016). Also, according to Su et al. (2013), there is a limited channel for the public to learn sufficient information and reliable knowledge about used clothes or second-hand clothes. This may serious hinder the efforts to promote ethical consumption among fashion users as a solution to the world’s urgent environmental problems based the sustainable culture of second-hand use of clothes. In terms of the reason, Ghisellini et al. (2016) further stated that customer’s acceptance and purchase of used products are crucial to the success of ethical consumption. Therefore, it is reasonable for this project to focus on promoting the sustainable culture of second-hand use of clothes and accessories through education and information dissemination.

In terms of why this project focuses on a desired result among millennials and Gen-Z consumers, the reason is as the following. Firstly, nowadays, Gen-Z and millennials are the main customers in the fashion industry. For example, in terms of the luxury fashion industry in China, its main customers are extremely young in nature. To be more specific, around 58% of the luxury fashion customers in China are those aged between 18 and 30 years (Shenzhen Zhongshang Big Data Co., LTD, 2018). In terms of the spending, 26–35-year-olds in China were responsible for 62% of high-end luxury consumption in China (Shenzhen Zhongshang Big Data Co., LTD, 2018). From this perspective, it is meaningful to focus on younger generations of customers because this then can help the project to make a bigger difference.

In the meantime, focusing on Millennials and Gen-Z customers also increase the like of success for the project. On the one hand, compared with older people, young people are always more open-minded (Corepal et al., 2018). They are more likely to learn new concepts. Also, it is easier for them to change their behaviors (Corepal et al., 2018). On the other hand, nowadays, young people are already showing more support to ethical and sustainable fashion consumption compared with other groups. For example, according to Smith (2022), in a research study in the Untie States, researchers identified that approximately three quarters (73%) of Gen Zs were willing to pay more for sustainable products or services, and the figure was 68% for millennials and 55% for Gen-z. This then indicates that young people are also more likely to make a difference once their awareness of the sustainable culture of second-hand use of clothes and accessories has been raised. This then greatly improves the chance for the success of the entire project.

Bibliography

Corepal, R., Tully, M. A., Kee, F., Miller, S. J., & Hunter, R. F. (2018). Behavioural incentive interventions for health behaviour change in young people (5–18 years old): A systematic review and meta-analysis. Preventive Medicine, 110, 55–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.02.004

Ghisellini, P., Cialani, C., & Ulgiati, S. (2016). A review on circular economy: The expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 114, pp.11-32.

Smith, P. (2022). Willingness of different generations to pay more for sustainable products in the U.S. as of December 2019. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1278163/willingness-to-pay-more-for-sustainable-products-in-the-us/

Su, B., Heshmati, A., Geng, Y., & Yu, X. (2013). A review of the circular economy in China: moving from rhetoric to implementation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 42, 215–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.020

Van Weelden, E., Mugge, R., & Bakker, C. (2016) .Paving the way towards circular consumption: Exploring consumer acceptance of refurbished mobile phones in the dutch market. Journal of Cleaner Production, 113, pp.743-754.

Kirchherr, J., Piscicelli, L., Bour, R., Kostense-Smit, E., Muller, J., Huibrechtse-Truijens, A., & Hekkert, M. (2018). Barriers to the circular economy: Evidence from the European union (EU). Ecological Economics, 150, pp.264-272.

Fashion Industry Background

In this project, the subject matter is set to promote the sustainable culture of second-hand use of clothes through education and information dissemination to encourage millennials and gen-z to take action. In other words, this project is about helping to make fashion consumption more sustainable. The reasons for this subject matter of the project are twofold.

To begin with, it is not a secret that the fashion industry is a major contributor to pollution and other environmental problems in the world today. For example, the fashion industry is “a substantial contributor to environmental impacts through the production, processing, use, and end-of-life of garments (Wiedemann et al., 2020, p.1486). In the meantime, it is estimated that the apparel industry responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions (King, 2021). Similarly, according to Pawar (2021), the total greenhouse gas emissions in the world related to the textile industry has reached 1.2 billion tons annually. These environmental problems caused by fashion industry can lead to serous ramifications for the entire mankind. For example, it is warned when it comes to the end of the 21^st century, the Earth will be warmer by about 2.8 degrees Celsius (Wang et al., 2020). At the same time, the United Nations also warned that in the decade from 2020 to 2030, mankind must reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 7.6% each year to avoid catastrophic consequences (Wang et al., 2020). This is probably the reason why the United Nations included responsible consumption and production in its 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (The United Nations, n.d.). From this perspective, the fashion industry must be changed for the wellbeing of the entire human beings.

Secondly, there are personal reasons for this project to focus on this subject matter as well. When I studied in Nottingham Trent Uni, I majored in fashion. Since that time, I have been aware that the fashion industry is a heavy polluting business. While I enjoy all kinds of beautiful and stylish clothes, pollution caused by the fashion industry has always made me feel guilty, as if I were the one polluting the environment. Therefore, this project is meaningful to me personally because it can make me feel better about my fashion consumption by allowing me to make a difference.

At the same time, it is worth mentioning that this project of mine goes hand in hand with multiple stakeholders. The first is customers. On the one hand, today more and more customers are increasingly concerned with their impacts on the environment (Puspita and Chae, 2021). On the other hand, however, according to Kirchherr et al (2018), lack of awareness and interests among customers may be a key barrier for customers to embrace products made from used clothes. The second stakeholder involved is fashion brands. It is understandable that they may oppose my project. This is because recycled clothes may reduce customers’ needs for new clothes to a certain degree. The third stakeholders involved are charitable organizations. According to Farrant et al. (2020, p.726), many charitable organizations “collect used clothing and resell it as second-hand clothes for example in Eastern Europe or Africa.” They will be important partners for the project, as they have channel to reuse the recycled clothes.

Bibliography

Farrant, L., Olsen, S.I. & Wangel, A. 2020, “Environmental benefits from reusing clothes”, The international journal of life cycle assessment, vol. 15, no. 7, pp. 726-736.

Puspita, H. & Chae, H. (2021). An explorative study and comparison between companies’ and customers’ perspectives in the sustainable fashion industry. Journal of global fashion marketing, 12(2), pp. 133-145.

King, S. (2021).  How The Fashion Industry Contributes To Pollution. Sustainable Chic. https://www.sustainably-chic.com/blog/fashion-industry-pollution

Kirchherr, J., Piscicelli, L., Bour, R., Kostense-Smit, E., Muller, J., Huibrechtse-Truijens, A., & Hekkert, M. (2018). Barriers to the circular economy: Evidence from the European union (EU). Ecological Economics, 150, pp.264-272.

Wang, B., Jin, C., & Liu, J. (2020). Understanding Future Change of Global Monsoons Projected by CMIP6 Models. Journal of Climate, 33(15), 6471–6489. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0993.1

Wiedemann, S.G., Biggs, L., Nebel, B., Bauch, K., Laitala, K., Klepp, I.G., Swan, P.G. & Watson, K. 2020, “Environmental impacts associated with the production, use, and end-of-life of a woollen garment”, The international journal of life cycle assessment, vol. 25, no. 8, pp. 1486-1499.