Young people buy second-hand clothes more than older consumers

New national data shows young people are more likely to buy second-hand clothes than older Australians.

However, data from the(RMIT) found older Australians are more confident when it comes to repairing clothes.

Researchers surveyed over 3,000 people about their purchasing and disposal behaviours when it comes to clothes.

The study was commissioned by the Queensland Government and the Kmart Group. Here’s what it found.

Clothing waste

The amount of clothing waste Australia produces, annually. Of this, 200,000 tonnes end up in landfill.waste than anywhere else in the world.

of respondents have up to 20 clothing items in their wardrobe that they haven’t worn in over a year.

of respondents said they donate clothes to charity.

are more likely to practice sustainable clothing habits, such as buying second-hand clothes, repairing, reselling, and sharing clothes.

of younger consumers said they donated more than 20 items of clothing a year, compared to 18% of older consumers.

Research found that consumers are “confused” about how to dispose old, unwearable clothing.

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of respondents discard old clothes in the general waste bin.

of Australians use recycling bins to discard old clothes.

of respondents (53%) spend $50 to $99 on, per month.

said they spend over $200 a month.

Consumers in metropolitan areas spend more on new clothes than regional consumers.

of older respondents (aged 55 and above) buy second-hand clothes. This is compared to 73% of younger consumers.

Women purchase more clothing second-hand than men.

of consumers rarely repair their clothes. Overall, women were more likely to repair their clothes compared to men.

of Australians said they were confident in sewing a button.

Older consumers had higher rates of confidence in making repairs, compared to younger consumers.