The Influence of Fast Fashion Awareness On Clothing Disposal and Management Habits

¹ Department of Environmental Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
² Department of Computer Science and Technology Information, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: sarahpatumona@usu.ac.id

Abstract

The rapid advancement of modern times has accelerated the development of clothing trends, leading to the emergence of fast fashion. The rise of fast fashion can lead to overproduction and excessive consumption, resulting in massive amounts of textile waste and hazardous emissions into the air, water, and soil. Concrete actions are required to mitigate clothing waste generated by fast fashion. This study aims to analyse the clothing habits of people in four major cities in Indonesia. The type of research used is quantitative and qualitative descriptive research. The subjects of this study were residents of Cianjur Regency, Medan City, Bandung City, and Jakarta City, aged 18-50 years, who had purchased clothes for their own use. The data collection technique used was by distributing questionnaires. The data analysis techniques employed were descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, and thematic analysis. Results showed that 40% of respondents often threw away unused clothes, while 45% never recycled damaged ones. Statistical analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between fast fashion knowledge and clothing management habits (Spearman’s r = 0.556, p < 0.01), and fast fashion awareness had a significant influence on clothing disposal behaviour (β = 0.338, p < 0.001). These findings indicate that higher awareness leads to more responsible practices, such as donating and reusing clothes rather than discarding them.