*Article* **Organic Cotton Clothing Purchase Behavior: A Comparative Study of Consumers in the United States and Bangladesh**

**Md Nakib Ul Hasan \* , Chuanlan Liu and Bulbul Ahmed**

Textiles, Apparel Design and Merchandising, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA; clliu@lsu.edu (C.L.); bahmed1@lsu.edu (B.A.)

**\*** Correspondence: mhasa27@lsu.edu

**Abstract:** The purpose of this research was to evaluate the differences and similarities of organic cotton clothing (OCC) purchase behaviors of the consumers who lie at the top and the bottom of the apparel supply chain. The influences of consumers' sustainability knowledge and social norms on consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions were examined to understand within the framework of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). Sample data were collected from the United States and Bangladesh and, finally, 136 useable responses were used for the data analysis. Among the useable responses, 85 samples were from the US (containing 91.76% female participants and 4.71% male participants) and 51 responses were from the Bangladesh sample (containing 7.84% female participants and 88.24% male participants). A structural equation model was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings showed that for US consumers, sustainability knowledge was a powerful predictor of positive attitudes towards OCC, while for Bangladeshi consumers, it was not. In the context of social norms, Bangladeshi consumers demonstrated a strong positive attitudes formation whereas American consumers were found to display less strong relationships. OCC marketers and retailers should concentrate on educating consumers about the real benefits of organic cotton consumption by disseminating proper information about organic cotton fiber and its processing.

**Keywords:** organic cotton; clothing; consumer behavior; Theory of Reasoned Action

### **1. Introduction**

Textiles and clothing industries are developing rapidly to meet the growing demand for short-lived fast fashion. Agriculture-based natural fiber production or laboratory-based synthetic fiber production and final garment manufacturing are damaging the ecosystem by polluting the environment. Cotton, for instance, needs a large quantity of water and pesticides to grow. In terms of pesticide consumption compared to other crops, cotton ranks third in the USA [1] and fourth throughout the world [2]. Furthermore, an estimated 8000 chemicals including dyes, and auxiliaries are required in the manufacturing processes of cotton clothing [3]. Traditional cotton fiber production processes damage the soil, water, and air, thus polluting the environment [4]. Moreover, exposure to various chemicals, pesticides, and insecticides used in these processes can cause serious health complications for farmers, manufacturers, animals, plants, and even consumers [5]. Organic cotton fiber production, in contrast, is based on the use of organic seeds, and chemical-pesticide free farming methods [6]. According to The Soil Association, the production and processing of organic cotton reduces the carbon footprint and protects the environment by maintaining the quality of soil and water [7]. Increased awareness of an environment-friendly lifestyle through sustainable consumption (organic food, organic cotton, reusing, repurposing) is becoming popular presently. A study of 30,000 consumer found that two-third of the participants indicated their interest in consumer environmentally sustainable products despite higher prices [8]. The global market of sustainable apparel is expected to reach USD 95 billion by 2025 from USD 74.65 billion in 2020 [9].

**Citation:** Hasan, M.N.U.; Liu, C.; Ahmed, B. Organic Cotton Clothing Purchase Behavior: A Comparative Study of Consumers in the United States and Bangladesh. *Textiles* **2021**, *1*, 376–386. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/textiles1020019

Academic Editors: Noureddine Abidi and Laurent Dufossé

Received: 2 July 2021 Accepted: 6 September 2021 Published: 13 September 2021

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**Copyright:** © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

Recent studies on consumer behavior have suggested that growing awareness of environmental pollution encourages consumers to purchase sustainable clothing. According to fashion revolution research on 5000 European Union consumers almost all of them (90%) believed that brands should consider tackling climate change and environmental protection [10]. Environmental sustainability is largely dependent on the use of sustainable materials such as organic cotton, cutting down the usage of resources i.e., land, water, and oil usage, ensuring reuse, recycling, and upcycling of materials. Besides this, the textile industry should focus on, protection of human health, workplace safety, and protection of the environment [11]. Interestingly, as a result of growing consumer concern, the demand for organic cotton cultivation has been increasing significantly. According to an organic cotton market report from the Textile Exchange, organic cotton production in 2018/19 increased by 31% compared to the previous year [12]. Statistically, 418,935 hectares of land were used to produce 239,787 metric tons of organic cotton in 19 countries worldwide. Moreover, 55,833 hectares of conventional cotton growing lands have been converted to accommodate organic cotton production [13]. According to the industry survey of Organic Trade Associations, in the US, organic fiber sales increased by 15% reaching USD 1.8 billion in 2018 compared to the sales of 2017 [14]. Many renowned and emerging brands and retailers have been offering products made of organic cotton such as Conscious by H&M, Boden, Patagonia, Pact, Eileen Fisher, and Able.

The study of sustainable consumer behavior is a growing domain of research all over the world. There are some important reasons behind the emergence of this research. Considering Bangladesh, the second-largest exporter of worldwide apparel, the country is having environmental and social problems. First, the country has been going through significant socio-economic development from rapid industrialization particularly in the textile and apparel sectors. The textile and apparel industry sector is one of the major environmental polluters [15]. In a collaborative approach, Bangladeshi factories, and brands are working to reduce water consumption and initiate cleaner production with the help of the International Finance Corporation. According to the IFC, more than 700 dyeing, finishing, and washing industries have discharged 200,000 L of wastewater during the processing of only one ton of fabric [16]. Besides environmental pollution, the country has gone through some textile industrial disasters due to unauthorized and unregulated industry standards. In 2013, the collapse of the Rana Plaza, the worst industrial disaster, caused the death of more than 1100 workers and over 2500 workers injured as a result of not following proper building safety recommendations [17]. In the aftermath of Rana Plaza collapse, an agreement called the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was created to improve the working condition for 2.5 million workers in more than 1600 factories [18]. Moreover, brands are pushing manufacturers to comply with regulations of favorable working conditions, ethical practices, fair trade, and corporate social responsibility to produce sustainable apparel. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Bangladesh has the highest number (67, including 13 factories with the highest LEED Platinum rating) of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified textile and apparel factories in the world, followed by Indonesia with 40 factories [19]. Bangladesh has reported a 29% increase in the use of organic raw materials from 2017 to 2018 which is the highest global growth rate [20]. According to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Bangladesh is second in the world in providing GOTS-certified facilities [21]. Many of the research studies have been focused on the evaluation of sustainable consumption of organic cotton mostly in Western countries while little attention has been focused on countries such as Bangladesh which is at the bottom of the supply chain. There is a significant gap in the literature studying Bangladeshi consumer's organic cotton clothing (OCC) purchase behavior. To date, no known research has been found studying people's buying behavior in this country. Therefore, the research aims to compare the sustainable organic cotton consumption of US and Bangladeshi consumers.

The research objectives were as follows:

