Understanding Consumer Behaviour and the Circular Economy Transition in Sustainable Fashion: A Systematic Literature Review.

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Title: Understanding Consumer Behaviour and the Circular Economy Transition in Sustainable Fashion: A Systematic Literature Review.
Authors: Marinelli, Chiara1 (AUTHOR) chiara.marinelli@phd.units.it
Source: Corporate Social Responsibility & Environmental Management. May2026, Vol. 33 Issue 3, p3626-3641. 16p.
Subject Terms: *Sustainability, *Sustainable fashion, Consumer behavior, Circular economy, Consumer profiling, Cognitive dissonance, Digital technology, Evidence synthesis
Abstract: The fashion industry plays a key role towards global sustainability goals, yet remains among the most sustainability‐impacting sectors. Since 2020, several disruptions—including the Covid‐19 pandemic, geopolitical instability, and ambitious sustainability policies—have dramatically reshaped how consumers interact with fashion. In response, the rapidly growing academic literature in the field calls for a coherent, updated synthesis. This systematic literature review synthesises 171 recent studies published over the last 5 years (2020–2024) on consumers and sustainable fashion. Using qualitative content analysis and pattern coding, the study identifies a five‐profile consumer typology reflecting how psychological, social, and contextual dynamics can shape consumer engagement with sustainable fashion. Results also highlight the main academic literature trends, such as the changing nature of the attitude–behaviour gap and the growing importance of digital means. The findings provide an updated framework to guide corporate strategies, enhance stakeholder engagement, and inform future research work on sustainable fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Corporate Social Responsibility & Environmental Management is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Marinelli%2C+Chiara%22">Marinelli, Chiara</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> chiara.marinelli@phd.units.it</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Corporate+Social+Responsibility+%26+Environmental+Management%22">Corporate Social Responsibility & Environmental Management</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 33 Issue 3, p3626-3641. 16p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sustainability%22">Sustainability</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sustainable+fashion%22">Sustainable fashion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consumer+behavior%22">Consumer behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Circular+economy%22">Circular economy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consumer+profiling%22">Consumer profiling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+dissonance%22">Cognitive dissonance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Digital+technology%22">Digital technology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Evidence+synthesis%22">Evidence synthesis</searchLink>
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  Data: The fashion industry plays a key role towards global sustainability goals, yet remains among the most sustainability‐impacting sectors. Since 2020, several disruptions—including the Covid‐19 pandemic, geopolitical instability, and ambitious sustainability policies—have dramatically reshaped how consumers interact with fashion. In response, the rapidly growing academic literature in the field calls for a coherent, updated synthesis. This systematic literature review synthesises 171 recent studies published over the last 5 years (2020–2024) on consumers and sustainable fashion. Using qualitative content analysis and pattern coding, the study identifies a five‐profile consumer typology reflecting how psychological, social, and contextual dynamics can shape consumer engagement with sustainable fashion. Results also highlight the main academic literature trends, such as the changing nature of the attitude–behaviour gap and the growing importance of digital means. The findings provide an updated framework to guide corporate strategies, enhance stakeholder engagement, and inform future research work on sustainable fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Corporate Social Responsibility & Environmental Management is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1002/csr.70346
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 16
        StartPage: 3626
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Sustainability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sustainable fashion
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Consumer behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Circular economy
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      – SubjectFull: Consumer profiling
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      – SubjectFull: Cognitive dissonance
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      – SubjectFull: Digital technology
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      – SubjectFull: Evidence synthesis
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              Text: May2026
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              Y: 2026
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