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Experimental Evidence on Consumers’ Willingness to Pay in Sustainable Fashion

Published: November 5, 2025, in Scientific Reports
Authors: Alessandro Cascavilla, Rocco Caferra, Andrea Morone, Piergiuseppe Morone

Overview

This study investigates consumer purchase intentions and willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainable products within the fashion industry, focusing on leather goods with varying degrees of circularity. Grounded in behavioral theories such as the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Lancaster’s model of product attributes, the research examines how social and environmental values, quality perceptions, and production costs influence consumer decisions.

Background and Importance

The fashion sector is a major environmental polluter due to high resource consumption and waste generation. Despite growing consumer awareness and a noticeable increase in demand for sustainable fashion, many consumers exhibit an "attitude–behavior gap" — stating intent to buy environmentally friendly products but often not following through.

• Global willingness to pay a premium: About 66% of people globally are ready to pay more for eco-friendly products, with European consumers slightly higher at 72%.
• Barriers: Price sensitivity, trust, product quality, availability, and social influences affect actual purchasing behavior.

Research Design

The study uses a mixed-method approach, combining a hypothetical survey with laboratory experiments, focusing on consumer reactions to three types of small leather bags:

1. Bag A (Conventional Product): Standard leather bag produced via a take-make-dispose model with leftover leather waste.
2. Bag B (Recycled Product): Leather bag made from recycled scraps repurposed by a social enterprise, improving production sustainability.
3. Bag C (Re-recycled Product): Product made from shredded leather scraps forming a new composite material, closing the production loop and achieving maximum circularity.

Key Findings

• Purchase intention influenced by values: Pro-social and pro-environmental attitudes strongly drive intentions to buy sustainable fashion items.
• WTP increases with circularity: Consumers show higher WTP for bags with greater circularity (Bag C), linked to perceptions of increased quality and justified higher production costs.
• Role of quality and cost perceptions: Both tangible (material, aesthetic) and intangible (ethical production) attributes boost willingness to pay.
• Behavioral and social insights: Consumer experiences, social norms, and product information shape sustainable consumption decisions.

Case Study: Cartiera Social Enterprise

• Operations: Cartiera repurposes leather scraps from major producers to manufacture sustainable products, employing a circular design process.
• Innovation: Around 60% of leather scraps are upcycled into new products, and prototypes enable shredding and reprocessing leftover scraps, enhancing material reuse to 85%.
• Social impact: The enterprise supports asylum seekers by offering employment and integration services, blending environmental and social sustainability.

Policy Implications

The findings emphasize the need for multi-faceted strategies that:

• Integrate consumer behavioral insights with sustainability goals.
• Promote circular economy initiatives that are transparent and communicate product quality and social benefits.
• Address both individual and situational barriers to convert sustainable intentions into actual purchases.
• Support social enterprises that contribute to both environmental and social dimensions of sustainability.

Conclusion

This robust experimental analysis highlights that consumers are willing to pay a premium for highly circular fashion products when these items are perceived to have superior quality and social/environmental value. Bridging the intention–behavior gap requires addressing both product attributes and consumer mindset, offering valuable directions for policymakers, companies, and sustainable fashion advocates committed to fostering circular economy models.

References:

• Theory of Planned Behavior: Ajzen (1991)
• Lancaster’s Model of Product Attributes
• Recent market surveys on eco-conscious consumers (Global and European data)
• Case studies on circular fashion and social enterprises (Cartiera)

For further details, the full article is accessible via Scientific Reports [DOI link pending].

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