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OEKO-TEX Conducts Consumer Textile Sustainability Study

October 30, 2017

The OEKO-TEX Association recently commissioned a global research study to assess consumer attitudes about textile sustainability.

Entitled “The Key to Confidence: Consumers and Textile Sustainability — Attitudes, Changing Behaviors and Outlooks,” the study involved more than 11,000 clothing and home-textile consumers around the world and examined topics ranging from concerns about climate change to harmful substances in textiles.

The findings from the study were released to OEKO-TEX Institute clients through a series of webinars and will be shared with the textile, home fashions and apparel industry via speaking engagements at upcoming industry events, webinars and other communiques.

“The OEKO-TEX portfolio of testing, certification and label products has increased substantially since we first entered the market in 1992,” says Anna Czerwinska, head of marketing and communication at OEKO-TEX. “The world’s issues and consumer attitudes have changed just as significantly. As longtime leaders in textile sustainability, we felt that this unique global study to quantify consumer attitudes about textile sustainability was a fitting tribute to our past 25 years, as well as a worthy undertaking to prepare us to succeed in the next.”


OEKO-TEX engaged consumer products researcher Ellen Karp and her company, Anerca Intl., to conduct the project. Karp works on sustainability and other branding issues with a wide array of the apparel, personal care and luxury brands. The more than 11,000 clothing and home textile consumers in the study completed an online survey with a full spectrum of questions designed to gauge their attitudes about sustainability, harmful substances, environmental responsibility and the social welfare of textile workers.

“The quantitative findings derived through The Key to Confidence study should serve as a call to action for the textile industry,” Karp says. “Consumers are fast learning that their textile-buying decisions impact not only their families but also their communities and beyond. Brands, retailers and manufacturers need to be ready for this awakening. It is definitely coming.” — J.L.