A new study by SHEIN has suggested that while many global consumers engage in behaviours associated with circular fashion, such as rewearing, repairing and passing on garments, these tend to be driven by practical considerations.
The online fashion retailer’s 2025 Global Circularity Study, which was based on a survey of more than 15,000 customers across 21 markets, examined how consumers across the globe engage with fashion and circularity, and found that price remains the dominant factor when it comes to clothing purchases.
‘The study indicates that many behaviours commonly associated with circular fashion – such as repeated wear, repairing garments, and passing clothing on to others – already occur as part of everyday clothing practices.’ SHEIN said in its report. ‘At the same time, the results highlight that consumer decisions about clothing tend to be shaped by practical considerations, including price, fit and everyday usability. Together, these findings underscore the importance of designing systems and initiatives that promote circularity that work within the realities of consumers’ everyday clothing use.’
Online purchasing
When purchasing clothes online, 71.6% of respondents said that they ‘always consider price’ as a factor, followed by the availability of sizes that fit (66.7%), reflection of personal style (58.1%) and how well an item fits in with their everyday lifestyle or changing needs (53.8%).
Some 71.1% of consumers said that they purchased fewer than 30 clothing items over the past year, either from online sites or physical stores.
Of the consumers that purchase regularly from SHEIN, between 36.2% and 41.1% wear items bought through the site more than 50 times, while between 16.4% and 19.9% said they wear them between 31 and 50 times.
Sustainable fashion
When asked about sustainability in fashion, close to half (47%) of respondents said that they associate it with durability and long-lasting quality, while 37.8% cited clothing made with lower-impact materials. Less than 10% associated sustainable clothing with higher prices or reduced style options.
In terms of the most chosen reuse pathways for clothing, more than four fifths (82.6%) said that they give unwanted garments to friends or family, while 69% donate them to charities. Some 61.7% of respondents said that they had repaired or made alterations to clothing.
At the same time, participation in formal recycling systems remains lower, with just 37.2% of respondents reporting that they recycled clothing in the past year. Factors that would encourage recycling include knowing where or how to recycle (43.6%) and having convenient or nearby recycling facilities (40.3%).
‘These results suggest that access to more convenient systems and local infrastructure, and greater awareness of available options can influence consumers to participate in activities that keep clothing in circulation for longer and support a circular economy,’ SHEIN noted. Read more here and here.