Perceptions Towards Clothes with Recycled Content and Environmental Awareness: the Development of End Markets

ABSTRACT UK waste is growing steadily every year by 2-3 per cent, despite the fact that our government encourages us to recycle more. Due to a lack of landfill sites, we need to reduce our waste drastically. However, developing end markets for recycled materials is necessary for recycling to be successful, and the achievement of those markets depends on consumer demand for products. This study has explored the public perception towards clothes with recycled content and was designed as a guide to clothing industries that are, or will be, dealing with recycled materials for their products. The public survey aimed to identify the potential market for clothes with recycled content, particularly those made from plastic (PET) bottles using a fleece jacket as an example. The findings reveal that there is a contradiction between the public reaction towards products with recycled content and their awareness of environmental issues.