Turning Waste Into Fashion: Demographic and Psychological Drivers of Recycled Apparel Purchase Intention in Croatia

Abstract

Purpose – This paper examines demographic (generation, gender) and psychological (sustainability knowledge, environmentalism, disgust sensitivity) drivers of purchase intention for apparel made from recycled plastic.

Design/Methodology/Approach – A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Croatian consumers (N=241). Generational and gender differences were tested with independent-samples t-tests, and relationships among focal constructs were assessed using Spearman’s rank correlations.

Findings and implications – Older cohorts reported higher sustainability knowledge and stronger green consumption values than younger cohorts, and female respondents reported higher fashion-related sustainability knowledge than males. Sustainability knowledge was positively associated with environmentalism, with environmentalism modestly but positively associated with purchase intention, whereas disgust sensitivity was not significantly associated with purchase intention. These findings suggest that consumer value-based appeals should be accompanied by credible information on recycling processes and quality assurances to mitigate any perceived uncertainty about recycled content.

Limitations – The study relied on a convenience sample from only one country and predominantly composed of female respondents; it used a cross-sectional, self-report design focused on intentions rather than observed behavior.

Originality – The study integrates demographic segmentation with cognitive, value-based, and affective factors to explain recycled apparel purchase intentions in a rarely studied market context. It also clarifies the contingent role of disgust-related barriers in consumer acceptance of recycled apparel under survey conditions, contributing new insights to sustainable marketing theory and practice.