A new report from Adelaide University shows that consumer behaviour is central to reducing textile waste and keeping clothes in use for longer.
The report, titled ‘Clothing Longevity and Circular Textiles in South Australia’, investigated how people buy, wear, care for and dispose of clothing, also involving in-depth interviews with consumers and stakeholders across the textile and clothing sector
In its survey of almost 600 South Australian residents and collected data on just over 2800 garments, the report found that 89 per cent of garments were being purchased new. It also found that while awareness of circular models such as resale, rental and repair is relatively high, participation remains limited.
“One of the biggest implications is that we need to place greater emphasis on consumer behaviour,” Adelaide University’s Dr Kate Sansome said, who teaches in the School of Marketing.
“There are already many great initiatives underway across design, manufacturing, and end-of-life recovery, but if consumers continue to purchase clothing at unsustainable levels, textile waste will remain a significant challenge.”
The report found 77 per cent of respondents had clothing in their wardrobe that had not been worn in the past year. Of those with unworn clothing, 29.4 per cent said around a quarter of their wardrobe was unworn, while 24.8 per cent said around half was unworn.
Dr Sansome said the most common reason was that clothing no longer fit or felt comfortable, followed by changes in personal style and whether the item was still considered fashionable.
“This highlights the importance of encouraging consumers to purchase clothing that reflects their own style rather than purchasing micro-trends,” Dr Sansome said.
While just over half of respondents reported they were likely to donate clothing to charity shops or humanitarian organisations, disposal through general waste was also common with 39.5 per cent likely to throw clothing in the bin.
Repairing clothing was one of the clearest ways to extend the life of clothing. Repaired garments remained in use for about 2.5 years longer than those that had never been repaired, yet only one in 10 items had been repaired during their lifespan.
“Older participants reported stronger repair skills and tended to keep clothing for longer, while younger consumers were interested in learning repair skills but often lacked the confidence or practical skills,” Dr Sansome said.
“Many younger participants still relied on parents or other family members to make repairs, highlighting a growing gap in repair skills.”
Participants were interested in clothing swaps, repair sessions and upcycling events, but many were unsure where to find them or felt existing options lacked the social and community elements that would encourage younger people to get involved.
The report found not all circular business models produced the same sustainability outcomes. Some consumers used rent-a-rack services to sell impulsive purchases, while digital resale platforms such as Depop were often used to find unique items rather than replace new purchases altogether.
“This may explain why most reported clothing purchases were still bought new, despite the growing popularity of second-hand shopping,” Dr Sansome said.
The report also found emotional attachment mattered, with gifted garments and clothing with personal meaning, including sports, music or fandom merchandise, were consistently kept and worn for longer.
Dr Sansome has been working in the sustainable fashion space for nearly a decade and finds the data concerning. Australia generates around 300,000 tonnes of textile waste each year, with Australians purchasing an average of 55 clothing items per person annually.
“The statistics on clothing consumption keep increasing and are becoming difficult to ignore,” she said.
“Australians are among the world's highest consumers of clothing, yet a significant proportion of those garments end up in landfill or are exported overseas, often when they are still wearable.
“While there has been considerable attention to sustainable design and manufacturing, and to recycling and charity shop donations, there has been limited attention on consumers and the use phase of clothing.
“If we want to transition to a circular economy, we need to better understand people's everyday clothing habits, and the barriers and motivations that influence behaviours such as repairing, reusing, reselling and buying second-hand, in a responsible way.”
The report recommends making circular fashion behaviours easier, more visible and more appealing, including through education and behaviour change campaigns, local influencers and role models to normalise repair and second-hand shopping, and a digital platform connecting people with local repair services.
It also suggests more clothing swaps, resale opportunities and community events, and continued support for community-led repair and upcycling initiatives.
The report was funded by Green Industries South Australia through the Women in Circular Economy Leadership Scholarship, and led by Dr Sansome.