Stay ahead of the curve with Mintel’s Germany Sustainable Fashion Market Report 2024. Our full report is packed with consumer-led market intelligence, sustainable fashion Germany trends, and consumer behaviours. Get a 360° view of sustainable fashion in Germany including a growth forecast to help you align your business strategy with the needs of your audience.
Below, we’ve handpicked the key insights analysed in the full report and summarised the core topics.
Our Report Delivers Key Insights On
- The importance of sustainability in Germany when purchasing fashion items.
- The most important features for a fashion brand or retailer to be considered sustainable.
- Consumer behaviour and attitudes towards sustainable fashion in Germany, including the number of recent fashion purchases and returns.
- Accountability for sustainability in the fashion industry and expected actions by sustainable fashion brands Germany.
- Sustainable consumer typologies.
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The Sustainable Fashion Market Germany: An Overview
Mintel’s market research on sustainable fashion in Germany shows that economic factors are simultaneously supporting and challenging the sustainable fashion market Germany.
Due to budget constraints consumers are turning to fewer purchases or second-hand items as the cost of new eco-friendly products remains a hurdle for 67% of German consumers, citing the price of sustainable fashion items as one of the main barriers to this market sector.
Sustainable Fashion Germany: What Consumers Want and Why
- Challenges for Sustainable Fashion Germany: Almost half of Germans find the concept of sustainable fast fashion inconsistent and reject the increasingly accepted notion that cheap fashion and environmental responsibility can harmonise. This emphasises that a lack of transparency remains the biggest threat for sustainable fashion brands Germany, a problem that is further complicated by greenwashing in the industry. This causes scepticism and confusion among consumers attempting to navigate genuine sustainable options – 40% of German consumers expect retailers to communicate more openly about the lifecycle of their products, starting at the sourcing and production level.
- Opportunities in the Sustainable Fashion Market Germany: The increasing shift towards eco awareness presents a significant opportunity for the sustainable fashion market Germany, particularly as younger generations prioritise sustainability. Notably, 23% of both Gen Z and Younger Millennials are willing to invest more in high-quality items, highlighting the value placed on sustainable practices.
More About This Report
This Report is designed to give an overview of sustainable fashion in Germany, covering concerns including, but not limited to:
- the impact of fashion on the environment
- sustainability in Germany across the supply chains
- ethical concerns
For the purpose of this Report and unless otherwise indicated, Mintel defines fashion as the following three categories – clothing (including womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, and underwear), footwear and accessories (including bags, jewellery, and watches).
Meet The Expert
This report was written by Silke Lambers, Principal Analyst. Silke joined Mintel in 2022, writing about fashion and retail trends in Germany as a Senior Research Analyst. Prior to this she was a trend forecaster, journalist, and analyst for agencies and companies in the US, UK, France, and Germany. Silke holds a Master’s degree in Fashion Engineering and Design.
Our market intelligence on sustainable fashion in Germany shows that the sector reflects a broader trend, emphasising the challenge of combining green goals with economic realities. This pivotal moment demands profound adaptation within the fashion industry to effectively communicate sustainable practices to consumers.
Silke Lambers
Principal Analyst – Fashion, Germany
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- The five year outlook for sustainability in fashion
- Market context
- Economic influence on sustainable fashion
- Affordability limits uptake
- Mintel predicts
- Enhanced transparency will be mandatory
- Material innovations to pave the way for next-generation sustainable clothing
- Opportunities
- Engage consumers with rewards for eco-friendly practices
- Promote affordable sustainable options
- Leverage circular fashion practices
- Plastic-free packaging
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MARKET DRIVERS
- The German economy
- 2024 is expected to remain challenging
- Graph 1: key economic data, in real terms, 2019-25
- The inflation rate is bouncing back to more conventional levels
- Inflation is still the key factor affecting consumers’ finances…
- …confidence and expenditure
- Graph 2: financial confidence index, 2022-24
- The impact of the economy on sustainable fashion
- Environmental awareness
- Germans demonstrate a high penetration of eco awareness
- Material sourcing and innovation
- A new era of eco-conscious materials
- Innovation and technology converge to offer eco-friendly materials
- Circular fashion practices
- Extend the lifespan of garments and reduce waste
- Leverage Germany’s leadership in textile exports for eco designs
- Regulatory and legislative changes
- EU’s ESPR and Digital Product Passport
- The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- The importance of sustainability when purchasing fashion items
- Half of Germans find sustainability important in fashion purchases
- Price is trumping sustainability
- Graph 3: the importance of sustainability when purchasing fashion item in the last 12 months, 2023-24
- Sustainable fashion gains favour among younger men in Germany
- Graph 4: importance of sustainability when purchasing fashion items by gender and age, 2024
- Important sustainability factors of a fashion brand/retailer
- Deliver expert guidance and practical solutions around sustainable fashion
- Graph 5: most important features for a fashion brand/retailer to be sustainable, 2024
- Highlight the economic benefits of long-lasting items ‘for life’
- Empower ethical choices through filters
- Offer luxury beyond leather to Gen Z
- Embrace local production for sustainable fashion choices
- Fashion purchases and returns
- Address high-intensity female shoppers
- Graph 6: number of recent fashion purchases by gender, 2024
- Educate younger men to minimise their return rates
- Graph 7: number of recent fashion returns, by gender and age, 2024
- Behaviours towards sustainablity in fashion
- Educate consumers on sustainable choices
- Graph 8: behaviours towards sustainability in fashion, 2024
- Consumers prefer to donate than resell unwanted items
- Graph 9: behaviours towards sustainability in fashion, by gender and age, 2024
- Fast fashion is more likely to end up in landfills
- Emphasise the resell value of higher-quality items
- Graph 10: behaviours towards sustainable fashion by net household income, 2023
- Accountability for sustainability in fashion
- Meet consumer expectations and regulatory demands
- Graph 11: accountability for sustainability in fashion, 2024
- Consumer perception vs behaviour
- Graph 12: consumers buying more sustainable fashion vs thinking that fashion brands/retailers are accountable for sustainability in fashion, 2024
- Bridge the gap between perception and sustainable fashion purchasing
- Expected actions towards sustainability
- Make sustainable shopping easier
- Graph 13: expected brands’/retailers’ actions towards sustainability, 2024
- Plastic-free packaging
- Guide consumers to sustainable options
- Graph 14: expectations/attitudes towards sustainable fashion, by generation, 2024
- Enhance consumer satisfaction through after-sales recommendations
- Provide transparency with digital identification technology
- Digital product passes may become mandatory
- Attitudes towards sustainability in fashion
- The need for enhanced accountability and disclosure practices
- Graph 15: attitudes towards sustainability in fashion, 2024
- Shift the perspective of value
- Graph 16: attitudes towards sustainability in fashion, 2024
- Extend services to match shifting consumer preferences
- Graph 17: attitudes towards sustainable fashion, by generation, 2024
- A need for enhanced accountability and disclosure practices
- Graph 18: attitudes towards sustainability in fashion, 2024
- Scepticism towards sustainable fashion on social media
- Infegy Atlas – coverage and full list of search terms used
- Empower Gen Z and Millennials through sustainable fashion choices
- Graph 19: attitudes towards sustainable fashion, by generation, 2024
- Sustainable consumer types
- German fashion consumers and their relationship to sustainability
- Address consumer groups that value sustainability
- Graph 20: importance of sustainability in fashion by consumer types, 2024
- What drives sustainability in fashion depends on age
- Graph 21: generation distribution of sustainable consumer groups, 2024
- Engage with Conscious Fashion Enthusiasts through high-end rental services
- Graph 22: behaviours towards sustainable fashion, by consumer group, 2023
- Feed the appetite for fashion with creative upcycling workshops
- Bridging the accessibility gap in eco-friendly fashion
- Graph 23: behaviours towards sustainable fashion, by consumer group, 2024
- Offer affordable, eco-conscious choices and educate consumers
- Empower Mindful Fashionistas through digital passports
- Graph 24: features looked for in sustainable retailers, 2024
- Circularity advocates
- Graph 25: features looked for in sustainable retailers/brands, 2024
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LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
- SHEIN launches Exchange resale platform in Europe
- Fighting overproduction with AI-driven demand forecasting
- Veja’s new Paris store specialises in shoe and clothing repairs
- BASF and Inditex introduce innovative loopamid for circular nylon apparel recycling
- Tom Tailor’s RECYCLED_DOWN
- Kaufland introduces sustainable textiles made from seaweed algae fibres
- Advertising
- From waste to wearable
- Long Term Investment Friday
- Creating tomorrow’s vintage
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APPENDIX
- Appendix – products covered, abbreviations, consumer research methodology and language usage
- Products covered in this Report
- Generations
- Abbreviations
- Infegy Atlas – coverage
- Consumer research methodology
- A note on language
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