More than 80% of UK consumers will boycott apparel brands which do not prioritise ESG by 2025, according to consumer research.
Data compiled by e-commerce growth specialists Quickfire Digital and marketing group Climbing Trees, quoted in the website Retail Times, suggests four in five UK consumers will not buy from brands which do not prioritise sustainable fashion.
Slave labour practices were the top reason for almost half of UK consumers turning away from brands, with 32% ditching labels because of wasteful packaging and 22% due to a lack of sustainable materials.
The news could be especially damaging for Asda, Asos and Boohoo, all three of which are currently under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority over greenwashing claims.
In monetary terms, Quickfire Digital expects George at Asda to see its revenues shrink from £20.4bn in 2021 to £3.87bn in 2025 if the greenwashing claims are true.
“Consumers are all too familiar with some of the practices within the fashion industry and the impact that fast fashion, in particular, has on the environment,” said Nathan Lomax, co-founder of Quickfire Digital.
“This is a massive wake-up call for apparel brands to get your house in order and make doing the right thing your priority. Or face the alternative of a future without customers.”