Examining Sustainable Consumption Behaviors Through the Mass Customization Context: Emotional Product Attachment and Environmental Attitude Perspectives

Background : Existing research regarding mass customization apparel (MCA) has suggested that the business model can be sustainable from a production perspective; however, minimal research has been conducted to understand MCA from the consumer perspective and how it relates to sustainability. The purpose of the study was to explore the linkage between mass customization apparel consumption and sustainability. Specifically, this study examined the relationships among motivations for MCA purchases (MMP), clothing sustainability knowledge (CSK), emotional product attachment (EPA), environmental attitude (EA), sustainable apparel behaviors (SAB), and general sustainable behavior (GSB). Methods : A total of 220 responses were collected from existing MCA consumers via an online survey distributed through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Modified from existing literature, all major variables in the study were measured on 7-point Likert type scales. Results : Regression analyses indicated that all relationships of the study were significant except for the relationship between utilitarian motivation for MCA purchases and emotional product attachment and the relationship between self-expressive motivation for MCA purchases and environmental attitudes. Direct relationships between MMP and SAB/GSB, and between CSK and SAB/GSB were examined as well. CSK was found to be the strongest predictor highlighting the importance of educating consumers about clothing sustainability to promote responsible consumption behaviors. Conclusions : This study found evidence of the relationships between motivations for MCA purchases and sustainability-related variables. Future research can further examine how MCA consumers vs. non-MCA consumers might differ in their sustainable behaviors.