Clothing Also Follows the Trend of 'Good Consumption'... Over Half of Consumers Prioritize Ethical Factors Like Eco-Friendliness

53.2% Respond Prioritizing Brand Ethics in Clothing Purchases, 6.7% Do Not Consider
Consumers Value Eco-Friendliness Most at 60%, Followed by Management Transparency and Labor Conditions
Industry Launches Eco-Friendly Products Continuously... The North Face Introduces Eco-Friendly Filling 'Eco Heat Down'

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Eun-mo] More than half of domestic clothing consumers consider whether products are eco-friendly or ethically made when purchasing. The so-called 'ethical consumption' trend appears to have become a relatively core value among clothing buyers as well.

According to a survey on 'Ethical Attitudes of Clothing Product Brands' conducted by the Korea Federation of Textile Industries on 596 men and women aged 20 to 50, 53.2% of respondents said they consider a brand's ethical attitude important when purchasing clothing products. In contrast, only 6.7% responded that they 'rarely consider' a brand's ethical attitude as long as the price and quality of the clothing product are acceptable, indicating that a brand's ethical attitude and values have established themselves as factors with influence comparable to product price and quality.

Looking at gender and age groups, those who consider a clothing brand's ethical attitude important and actively promote it to others were more women (14.8%) than men (10.1%), with women in their 50s (24.6%) showing particularly high response rates. Conversely, those who said they do not place much importance on a brand's ethical attitude were more men (42.1%) than women (38.4%), with men in their 30s (47.1%) recording a high response rate. Meanwhile, women generally tend to value a brand's ethical values more than men, but younger age groups showed a tendency to care less.

Among the ethical attitudes of brands, whether the products produced are eco-friendly was considered the most important. In a question asking about the ethical areas consumers expect from clothing brand companies (multiple responses allowed), eco-friendliness recorded the highest response rate at 59.2%, followed by management transparency (42.1%), labor environment (29.5%), animal protection (25.0%), and consideration for socially vulnerable groups (17.1%). Meanwhile, the corporate ethical areas of interest varied somewhat by age group. Men in their 50s regarded management transparency (58.5%) as an important area compared to overall respondents, while men in their 30s evaluated the labor environment (43.1%) as more important.

As eco-friendliness is regarded as the most universal and core ethical value among clothing consumers, the industry is also actively launching related products. Especially notable are the movements of outdoor companies during the winter peak season. The North Face introduced the 'Eco Heat Down' using eco-friendly light heat-generating insulation on the 26th of last month. This product uses goose down insulation certified by the globally first-introduced 'Responsible Down Standard (RDS)' by The North Face, as well as recycled PET bottle materials applied to both the insulation and outer fabric.

Eider also launched trekking shoes last month in collaboration with Nexen Tire, applying the strengths of tires to the shoe soles, emphasizing eco-friendliness by upcycling rubber by-products generated during tire manufacturing. Additionally, Black Yak showcased down jackets in collaboration with the casual fashion brand Covernat, applying 'Plustic,' an eco-friendly material made by recycling PET bottles produced domestically.

Fashion platform Musinsa recently replaced the delivery boxes and tape used in product shipping with eco-friendly products. The delivery boxes introduced by Musinsa are FSC-certified, a certification granted only to paper and products produced sustainably to protect forest resources by the Forest Stewardship Council. The tape is also a German Tesa product with the same certification. A Musinsa representative said, "As part of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management, we replaced delivery boxes and tape with eco-friendly products to reduce waste during the shipping process," adding, "We will continue to expand practical efforts for the sustainability of the fashion ecosystem."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.