Sustainable fashion – modeling consumer perceptions and the relationship between attitudes and buying behaviors in Germany

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to identify and analyze the key factors that influence German consumers’ intention to purchase sustainable fashion, with particular attention to the well-documented attitude–behavior gap. The research focuses on the core constructs of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) – attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control – along with individual factors like knowledge and perceived consumer effectiveness, and situational factors such as price and availability. Design/methodology/approach – The research is grounded in the TPB, using a quantitative survey conducted with 216 German consumers. Multiple regression analysis was used to uncover the primary drivers and barriers influencing the intention to purchase sustainable fashion. Findings – The results show that perceived consumer effectiveness (β = 0.29, p < 0.001) is the strongest driver of sustainable fashion purchase intention, suggesting that feeling empowered matters more than knowledge. Subjective norms (β = 0.23, p < 0.001) and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.11, p < 0.01) also play important roles, while high prices (β = −0.12, p < 0.05) and limited availability (β = 0.10, p < 0.05) act as barriers. Surprisingly, sustainability knowledge shows no significant influence (β = 0.04, p > 0.05). Originality/value – This study advances TPB-based research by empirically integrating four context-specific variables – knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness, price and availability – into a single model. This rare combination offers novel insights into the attitude–behavior gap in sustainable fashion and highlights perceived consumer effectiveness as a key leverage point. It provides actionable guidance for businesses and policymakers to encourage more sustainable consumer behavior in the fashion industry.