Shoppers are Telling Fashion They Want Circularity – It’s Time to Listen
How much do shoppers care about sustainability, really? It’s a question that the fashion industry has long grappled with. The attitude-behaviour gap that exists between purported consumer values and how they actually shop indicates a fundamental lack of commitment to invest in more sustainable cl…
OCTober 01, 2026
Shoppers are Telling Fashion They Want Circularity – It’s Time to Listen
Written by Megan Doyle, Sustainable fashion journalist and Consultant
How much do shoppers care about sustainability, really? It’s a question that the fashion industry has long grappled with. The attitude-behaviour gap that exists between purported consumer values and how they actually shop indicates a fundamental lack of commitment to invest in more sustainable clothing. But what if the answer to this dilemma lies just beyond our narrow definitions of sustainability?
As environmental and social governance has formalised from concepts to measurable targets, it has been categorised in core silos like decarbonisation or low-impact materials, heavily relying on certifications and statistics to communicate progress to consumers. But they haven’t resonated, and as a result, industry progress on sustainability commitments remains sluggish. So what do shoppers actually care about?
In less overt ways, consumers are giving clear signals that they want sustainability. We only have to look at the rapid growth of circular business models to recognise it. The global secondhand clothing market is growing twice as fast as the overall market, set to be worth USD $393 billion by 2030. The global repair market is also growing by 6.4 percent each year, and while a comparatively smaller segment, the clothing rental market is also growing.
What do these categories have in common? Firstly, they all rely on the engagement of consumers. In certain instances, such as peer-to-peer resale platforms, they’re entirely driven by consumers. Secondly, their growth and popularity isn’t directly linked to the fact that they are more sustainable ways to engage with fashion.
Zalando’s 2025 report ‘It Takes Many’ found that while more consumers were repairing, buying second-hand, and choosing more durable clothes, they weren’t necessarily doing so with eco-conscious aspirations. The report suggests that the primary motivation is cost savings, a finding echoed by Samsara Eco’s survey which shows that cost of living pressures have influenced purchasing behaviours of 88.6 percent of respondents.
It could be tempting to see the rise of circularity as an existential threat for fashion brands, whose customers are increasingly choosing second-hand or repaired over brand-new. But ambitious companies will look at this as an opportunity, not a challenge, to create new revenue through circular streams and engage with their customers in ways that aren’t inherently linked to the sale of new products.
Customer expectations of durability are high, finds Samsara Eco’s survey, with 80 percent of respondents expecting an item to last more than three years. In order to embrace circularity, brands must prioritise both physical and emotional durability. An in-house resale platform is no good if customers don’t deem products worthy of reselling or buying second-hand. A dress can’t have a meaningful life within a rental economy if it rapidly degrades with each wash. Of course, nothing lasts forever, so emotional durability will compel customers to repair the garments they love.
Creating more durable clothing can offer rewards beyond circularity. Create clothes that stand the test of time, and shoppers will reward you with loyalty and trust. Truly resilient brands will see brand loyalty not just as something that can be achieved through having the most trend-led product selection, but as something to be won by making products that are loved and that last.
While the fashion industry dissects and analyses the many barriers to scaling its own circular systems, consumer-led circularity is thriving. Now is the time for brands to reimagine the shape of their business model, and pay attention to the signals that indicate a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour occurring beyond the contradiction between what shoppers say and do.