A survey of more than 1,000 people in the UK has found that British consumers think manufacturers are the most responsible for the development of unsustainable clothing, followed by brands. However, 17% of consumers also recognise their own role in the picture, an understanding that is starting to fuel sales of natural fibre clothing.Indeed, 45% of UK shoppers say they would pay more for clothing made from natural fibres, as opposed to only 4% who would pay more for synthetics. This is because natural fibres are considered to be more comfortable (by 65% of those surveyed), of better quality (57%) and more durable (34%) than their synthetic counterparts.

“Across all parts of everyday life, consumers are becoming more conscious than ever before about how their actions impact the world we live in. Our findings truly reflect how this applies to the consumption of fashion and textiles, and really identifies the shift UK consumers have made in the past few years,” says Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe, International Marketing Manager at Cotton USA.Cotton is perceived by 79% of UK consumers as the safest fibre for the environment, and 83% says they want the clothing they wear most often to be made of cotton and cotton blends.Additionally, seven in 10 consumers are now looking at fibre content labels before making a purchase decision. Older generations (75%) are more likely to look at the labels compared to younger consumers (63%), the research found.