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UK Fashion and Sustainability Market Report 2024

UK Fashion and Sustainability Market Report 2024

Market Intelligence Reports Fashion Sustainability UK

Stay ahead of the curve and secure future growth for your business with Mintel’s UK Fashion & Sustainability Market Report 2024. Our full report is packed with consumer-led market intelligence, the latest trends and consumer behaviours affecting your industry. This report tells you everything you need to know about sustainable fashion in UK market.

Topics Analysed in this Sustainable Fashion Report

The impact of the cost of living on the sustainable fashion market and changing shopping behaviours
Impact of new supply chain and eco design legislation on the fashion market
The divide between how consumers view sustainability and their actions
The opportunities for new technology to drive sustainable practices
What fashion retailers/brands can do to encourage consumers to be more sustainable

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Sustainable Fashion Market Outlook

The ongoing cost of living pressures have led consumers to adopt more conscientious shopping behaviours – buying fewer items, selling unworn pieces and opting for second-hand fashion. While value will remain important, as consumers return to more normalised spending, the focus on sustainability will grow.

Sustainable fashion market statistic: 57% of Britons see sustainability as important for fashion. Sustainability has risen in importance in 2024, following a drop in interest in 2023 as incomes were squeezed.

Sustainable Fashion Market Trends and Opportunities

Gen Z pivotal to driving change

When comparing attitudes towards sustainability with actual changes in behaviour, the say-do gap is very wide, particularly among Gen Zs who continue to be high intensity fashion buyers and returners. Given that a significant number of Gen Z look to social media personalities for fashion inspiration, there is scope to leverage the power of eco-influencers to steer them towards more ethical and environmentally conscious shopping habits.

Opportunities lie in technology

The latest advances in technology can help fashion retailers and brands meet legislative requirements, as well as assist consumers with purchasing decisions by giving them more transparent information about a product.

To learn more about how to connect with your audience, purchase our full UK Fashion and Sustainability Market Report 2024, featuring detailed anaylsis of what consumer want and why.

Meet The Expert

This fashion sustainability report is written by Tamara Sender Ceron, Mintel’s Associate Director, Fashion Retail. Tamara has over 12 years of expertise in analysing changing consumer behaviour, industry trends and key innovations in fashion retail. She regularly presents to clients and talks to the media to help them understand the latest developments in the fashion market. Tamara has been writing Mintel’s Fashion & Sustainability Reports since 2021, bring years of experience and insights to the 2024 edition.

While sustainability is still not a priority when buying fashion, a combination of legislation and changing consumer behaviours will put pressure on retailers and brands to do more to reduce their environmental and social impact.

Tamara Sender Ceron
Associate Director, Fashion Retail

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Executive Summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- Opportunities for the sustainable fashion market
- Technology will help retailers comply with legislation, as well as aid consumers with purchasing decisions
- Too much effort required to be sustainable
- Making it easier for consumers to be circular
- Driving change among younger high intensity fashion shoppers
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market predictions
- Companies need to ensure compliance with new legislation
- What consumers want and why
- 57% of Britons see sustainability as important for fashion
- Graph 1: importance of sustainability when buying fashion items, 2020-24
- Big gap between intention and behaviour
- Graph 2: attitudes towards sustainability compared with actual behaviours, by generations, 2024
- Durable products are a key attribute for a sustainable brand
- Graph 3: most important features for a fashion brand to be sustainable, 2024
- Young fashion shoppers return lots of items
- Graph 4: number of items returned in the last three months, by generation, 2024
- Younger women sell unworn fashion items, while older women donate them
- Graph 5: sustainable fashion shopping behaviours, 2024
- Fashion brands and retailers are responsible for sustainability
- Graph 6: responsibility for ensuring fashion items are sustainable, 2024
- Fashion brands should be offering more sustainable packaging
- Graph 7: what fashion brands should do to help consumers be more sustainable, 2024
- Almost seven in ten Britons agree that it requires a lot of effort to know which fashion brands are sustainable
- Graph 8: attitudes towards sustainability in fashion, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- Rise of rental for more occasions
Market Dynamics
- Macro-economic factors
- Clothing inflation remains high
- Graph 9: overall CPIH, garment CPIH % change, 2023-24
- Food and drink prices still top the list of consumer concerns
- Graph 10: cost of living related issues noticed in the last two months, 2024
- Women feel more impacted by price rises than men…
- Graph 11: consumer impact of issues over the last two months, by gender, 2024
- …and more negative about the impact on their financial situation
- Graph 12: impact of price factor on financial situation over the next year, by gender, 2024
- Graph 13: impact of interest rates on financial situation over the next year, by gender, 2024
- Consumer sentiment: wellbeing is up but the recovery has slowed
- Graph 14: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- Women prioritise saving over buying new clothes
- Graph 15: recent and planned spending activity, 2024
- Regulatory and legislative changes
- Companies need to ensure compliance with new legislation
- Ecodesign regulations to come into force
- Supply chain transparency adopted
- Green Claims Directive to change marketing rules
- Companies will need to report on environmental impact
- Waste management to promote circularity
- UK plastic packaging tax to stimulate recycling
- UK programme to drive repair and reuse of textiles
- CMA sets benchmark to avoid greenwashing
- Anti fast fashion bill proposed in France
- US Fashion Acts
What Consumers Want and Why
- Importance of Sustainable Fashion
- 57% of Britons see sustainability as important for fashion
- Graph 16: importance of sustainability when buying fashion items, 2020-24
- Women prioritise sustainability
- Graph 17: importance of sustainability when purchasing fashion, by gender, 2024
- Younger Millennials place most importance on sustainability
- Graph 18: importance of sustainability when purchasing fashion, by generations, 2024
- Big gap between intention and behaviour
- Graph 19: attitudes towards sustainability compared with actual behaviours, by generations, 2024
- Leverage power of eco-influencers
- Appealing to young people by making shopping sustainably more fun
- High earners see sustainability as most important
- Graph 20: importance of sustainability when buying fashion, by annual household income, 2024
- Making high earners feel good about making sustainable choices
- Using certifications to build trust among parents
- Most important attributes for a sustainable fashion brand
- Durable products are a key attribute for a sustainable brand
- Graph 21: most important features for a fashion brand to be sustainable, 2024
- Older consumers most drawn to long-lasting items
- Graph 22: one of the most important features for a fashion brand to be sustainable, by generation, 2024
- Women concerned about fair working conditions
- Women dominate social media posts on garment workers’ rights
- Circular fashion most understood by Baby Boomers
- Graph 23: one of the most important features for a fashion brand to be sustainable, by generation, 2024
- Opportunities to partner with locally made brands
- Level of purchasing and returns
- Women are more likely than men to be high intensity buyers
- Graph 24: number of fashion items purchased in the last three months, by gender, 2024
- Younger Millennials are buying less
- Graph 25: number of fashion items purchased in the last three months, by generation, 2024
- Swapping fashion as an alternative to buying new
- Men return more items than women
- Graph 26: number of items returned in the last three months, by gender, 2024
- Young fashion shoppers return lots of items
- Graph 27: number of items returned in the last three months, by generation, 2024
- Try before you buy may provide a solution to lower return rates
- Sustainable fashion behaviours
- Younger women sell unworn fashion items, while older women donate them
- Graph 28: sustainable fashion shopping behaviours, 2024
- Using technology to deal with oversupply of pre-loved items
- Tapping into the higher-end resale market
- Graph 29: consumers who have sold unwanted fashion in the last 12 months, by annual household income, 2024
- Pre-loved market driven by women
- Graph 30: sustainable fashion behaviours, 2024
- Rise in social media posts on preloved fashion
- More brands enter resale market
- Buying less and buying better
- Graph 31: sustainable shopping behaviours, 2024
- Social media promotes slow fashion
- Men twice as likely to rent fashion
- Driving repairs
- Responsibility for sustainability
- Fashion brands and retailers are responsible for sustainability
- Graph 32: responsibility for ensuring fashion items are sustainable, 2024
- Younger generations believe consumers and governments are also responsible
- Graph 33: responsibility for ensuring fashion brands are sustainable, by generations, 2024
- How companies can help consumers be more sustainable
- Fashion brands should be offering more sustainable packaging
- Graph 34: what fashion brands should do to help consumers be more sustainable, 2024
- Reducing the impact of packaging from fashion
- Women want fashion brands to be more transparent
- Graph 35: what fashion brands should do to help consumers be more sustainable, by gender, 2024
- Digital passports used to track clothing journey
- Technology advances will help sustainability efforts
- Finding ways to limit water usage
- Helping consumers increase longevity through care
- Driving interest in recycled fabrics by lowering prices
- Graph 36: what fashion brands should do to help consumers be more sustainable, by generation, 2024
- Retail-recycling partnerships
- Innovative next gen materials
- Younger Millennials want brands to give a guarantee for fashion items
- Graph 37: what fashion brands should do to help consumers be more sustainable, by generation, 2024
- Attitudes towards sustainable fashion
- Almost seven in ten Britons agree that it requires a lot of effort to know which fashion brands are sustainable
- Graph 38: attitudes towards sustainability in fashion, 2024
- Price is more important than sustainability
- Graph 39: attitudes towards sustainable fashion, 2024
- Majority agree that cheap fashion can’t be sustainable, but most don’t feel guilty for buying on impulse
- Graph 40: attitudes towards sustainability in fashion, 2024
- Helping consumers research for sustainable fashion
- Graph 41: attitudes towards sustainability in fashion, 2024
- Making sure eco-certifications are comparable
- Sustainability consumer types
- British fashion consumers and their relationship to sustainability
- Key target groups to focus on due to their interest in sustainability
- Graph 42: importance of sustainability when fashion shopping, by consumer type, 2024
- Different generations embrace sustainable fashion
- Graph 43: generational profile of sustainable fashion consumer types, 2024
- Appeal to affluent Eco Fashion Shoppers with sustainable kidswear
- Graph 44: agreement with statements related to sustainable fashion, 2024
- Unstylish Eco Enthusiasts shop sustainably to save money
- Graph 45: what fashion brands should do to help consumers be more sustainable, by consumer types, 2024
Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Rise of rental for more occasions
- Promoting repairs
- Clever sustainable collaborations
- Creating clothes that last
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Modibodi promotes fun as well as sustainability
- Vestiaire Collective launches campaign
- Prada uses new recycled collection to promote ocean conservation
- Brand Research
- M&S is viewed as the most ethical brand
- M&S’s strategy helps back up sustainability efforts
- Ultra fast fashion brands score low on ethical views
- Lucy & Yak stands out for its ethical stance
Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage

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