Fashion, fast or slow? Effects of binary and graded eco-labels on sustainable clothing purchases

Excess clothing consumption severely harms the environment, through greenhouse gas emissions, resource degradation and water pollution. For consumers, however, the trade-off between this environmental impact and the convenience of “fast fashion” is hidden at the point of purchase. We present a pre-registered, experimental test of two clothing eco-labelling systems using a large, representative sample of consumers (N = 1,200). Participants used a simulated online clothing store, with some chosen at random to receive their selected items. They were randomised to see (i) a binary label, informed by existing policy, applied to the most sustainable products, (ii) a colour-coded, graded “eco-score” applied to all products, or (iii) no label. Compared to the control condition, participants exposed to binary label chose 10% more sustainable products. Eco-score participants, however, chose 20% more, and were twice as likely to exclusively buy the most sustainable products. There was no effect on the number of items purchased, implying a shift towards more sustainably produced clothing. Exploratory analyses revealed that the effects were driven by greater salience of the eco-score system and that effects were stronger among those most concerned about the environment. Those who saw the eco-labels reported the same level of shopping satisfaction and willingness to wear selected clothes as those in the control condition. Additional findings revealed a general underestimation of clothing production's environmental impact and strong support for implementing the eco-score both online and in-store. The results have implications for enabling informed consumer choice in the clothing market.