Online shoppers who cannot identify sustainable clothing in the U.S. and UK 2022

In 2022, a survey revealed that 53 percent of online shoppers were unable to identify if clothes were sustainable when buying from online channels. In comparison, 12 percent of respondents disagreed, reporting that they could identify whether clothing available to purchase online was sustainable or not.

Sustainable closets bought online

Although over half of these shoppers have trouble identifying what apparel items are sustainable while they do their online shopping, that doesn’t mean they’ve disregarded sustainable shopping. Overall, consumers in the U.S. and UK wanted their online retailers to be more eco-friendly. In 2022, over six in ten shoppers in both countries believed that online brands should offer more fashion items that are environmentally friendly. 64 percent of shoppers also wanted their favorite retailers to make such items easier to find by offering more transparency on their sites.

Pre-owned popularity

Besides just wanting more sustainable items and clearer information on them, U.S. American and British consumers were also interested in brands reducing packaging, as well as buying pre-owned goods to reduce the toll that buying new items has on the environment. Second-hand e-commerce remains a popular option for consumers with sustainability concerns, as well as for a multitude of other reasons—for example, collecting rare or vintage goods.