Back to the future of fashion: Circularity and consumer ethics

This paper examines the primary drivers behind the adoption of circular economy practices in the fashion industry, focusing on sustainable and ethical consumer behaviours in the digital era and future trends in young adults’ engagement. Following an extensive literature review, primary data were used to develop a cross-sectional empirical model, analysed through multiple linear regression. The model focused on the four main variables identified by the academic literature as being linked to circular fashion, which focuses on consumers’ information about prices, expected future trends in sustainable fashion, ethical consumption and technological developments. The results indicate strong support among young consumers for circularity in the fashion industry and highlight the potential for circularity in fashion to grow because sustainability is part of consumers’ values. This research provides valuable insights into the complex interplay of economic, ethical and technological factors driving the fashion industry’s shift towards circularity while highlighting the need for public policies that encourage corporate strategies aligned with ethical, responsible and technologically advanced consumption in the context of sustainable circular fashion.