Validation of a scale to measure consumers' engagement in voluntary simplistic clothing consumption behaviour in South Africa

Abstract

In today’s environment of mass production and overconsumption, better lifestyle choices should be encouraged to safeguard the earth’s dwindling natural resources. Quick turnaround times and the reduced lifespan of clothing items have given rise to the so-called “fast fashion” industry that, in its entirety, causes great environmental concern. To combat the repercussions of this industry, consumers need to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and embrace what is empirically known as “voluntary simplicity” (Leonard-Barton, 1981; Elgin & Mitchell, 1977). Voluntary simplicity (VS) involves an individual’s conscious choice to engage in low consumption behaviour to live a non-materialistic, quality enriched, lifestyle (Rich, Wright & Bennett, 2019). To date, little is known about consumers’ acceptance of these voluntary simplistic lifestyles and the impact it has on their clothing consumption behaviour in a developing market context such as South Africa. More research is thus needed on the topic, but such research would require appropriate measurement scales to deliver valid and reliable insight on the matter. This project was therefore focused on developing and validating a scale to measure consumers' engagement in voluntary simplistic clothing consumption behaviour in South Africa. A review of existing literature highlights five voluntary simplicity dimensions that were initially proposed by Elgin and Mitchell (1977) and labelled as material simplicity, self-determination, ecological awareness, human scale and personal growth. These dimensions were later used by Leonard-Barton (1981) to develop a behavioural index (Rich et al., 2019). From a behavioural perspective, most of these dimensions are manifested in the five R’s namely recycle, repair, reuse, reduce and refuse (Zamwel, Sasson-Levy & Porat, 2014), except for the personal growth dimension, which more closely relates to an attitudinal disposition. Because people do not always act in accordance with their behaviour, those who have measured VS, have rather focused on actual behaviour as opposed to attitudes or intentions (Hüttel, Ziesemer, Peyer & Balderjahn, 2018). For these reasons, personal growth was excluded from the overall aim of this study that was more narrowly focused on developing a scale that measures consumers’ voluntary simplistic clothing consumption behaviour. To accomplish the envisaged outcome of this study, the guidelines and procedures for scale development prescribed by Kang and Johnson (2011) were particularly useful and led to three phases that are described and explained throughout this study, namely initial scale item generation, scale purification, and scale validation. During the initial scale item generation, questionnaire development and collection commenced in 2016 as part of a final year Clothing Retail Management research project in the Department of Consumer and Food Sciences at the University of Pretoria. Data collection was conducted in the Tshwane Metropolitan area of Gauteng where a total of 1025 responses were obtained, of which 1002 were usable, and 23 were rejected due to missing values. The respondents were asked to complete a self-administered paper-based questionnaire that included six sections that altogether measured materialism, status consumption, lifestyle choices, voluntary simplicity, the use of money and demographics. The initial project adopted a quantitative approach with the use of a cross-sectional survey that predominantly served exploratory purposes in terms of all the sections included in the questionnaire. It should, however, be noted that for this particular study, the most emphasis was directed toward the voluntary simplicity items and demographic variables, while some referral is made toward the materialism and status consumption scales to validate the newly developed VS scale. SPSS statistical software was used for data analysis and as per specified guidelines, the data were randomly split into two datasets to perform scale purification procedures on the first dataset and subsequent scale validation procedures on the second dataset. The scale purification and validation results produced an eleven item, three-factor solution with a good model fit and significant validity measures. Following rigorous scrutiny, the three factors were labelled as “local ethical brands”, “distinct product features” and “reduced consumption”, which to some extent reflect the dimensions initially proposed by Elgin and Mitchell (1977), but are more aligned to the contextual realities of the South African emerging market context. These results underscore Arnould and Thompson's (2005) consumer culture theory (CCT) that emphasises the link between consumers’ behaviour and the unique marketplace in which they find themselves. The most statistically prominent factor, namely “local ethical brands” may stem from the drive toward supporting proudly South African brands and the importance of job creation in a developing country that is faced with extreme levels of unemployment and the intense pursuit of ethical/ fair treatment of the local labour force. While the other two factors, namely “distinct product features” and “reduced consumption” may benefit from further scale development due to scoring low on the Cronbach alphas and the average variance extracted (AVE) statistical measurements, there is something to be said for both of these factors in the prevailing South African context. “Distinct product features” may be particularly important for a growing middle-class consumer segment (Marketline Report, 2018), who prefer clothing items that are uniquely handcrafted and/ or eco-friendly, which in turn differentiate their garments from those that are mass-produced. In terms of “reduced consumption”, the argument brought forward is that local economic conditions have forced consumers to adopt a more frugal approach (PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), 2012), whereby they re-evaluate the longevity of their clothing items and attempt to extend the lifespan of their garments and/ or focus on absolute need as opposed to seasonal fast fashion trends in their acquisition of new garments. Whether the underlying reasons for adopting voluntary simplistic clothing consumption behaviour is driven by sustainable pursuits or other ulterior motives, the factors identified in this study’s scale development procedures reflect a uniquely South African emerging market approach. To drive an economy that uses, produces and provides sustainable clothing, an understanding of consumers’ consumption behaviour is essential (Balderjahn, Peyer, Seegebarth, Wiedemann, & Weber, 2018). This understanding will provide the local clothing industry with a roadmap toward good business practices as sustainability does not only represent greener purchases, but it requires three interlinking dimensions, namely the environment relating to green consumption, society with the promotion of fair-trade products and economic considerations, which focuses on the extension of a garment’s lifespan (Balderjahn et al., 2018). Once further insight is derived through valid and reliable measures such as the one proposed in this study, government and other stakeholders can use such insight to streamline intervention strategies to effectively target voluntary simplistic clothing consumption behaviour in the local economy. Such behaviour could altogether involve recycling, repairing, reusing and reducing clothing consumption as well as consumers’ refusal to acquire clothing brands that are unethical and unsustainable (Zamwel et al., 2014).

In vandag se omgewing van massaproduksie en oormatige verbruik behoort beter lewenstylkeuses aangemoedig te word om te help om die aarde se kwynende natuurlike hulpbronne te beveilig. Vinnige omkeertye en die korter lewensduur van kledingstukke het aanleiding gegee tot die sogenaamde “kitsmode”-bedryf wat in sy geheel groot kommer oor die omgewing veroorsaak. Om die gevolge van dié bedryf teë te werk, moet verbruikers volhoubaarder lewenstyle aankweek en eienaarskap neem van wat empiries bekend staan as “vrywillige eenvoud” (Leonard-Barton, 1981; Elgin & Mitchell, 1977). Vrywillige een