You Know Fast Fashion Is Harmful. You Still Buy It. Here's Why.
What my undergraduate thesis on sustainable fashion actually found · Darsh Modi
92M
tonnes of textile waste produced every year (Igini, 2023)
30–40%
growth in India's fast fashion segment (Bansal, 2024)
10%
of global carbon emissions come from fashion
This is not just a statistic. This is a true revelation of the massive awareness-action gap among consumers in India.
India is a country which loves what it wears, celebrates purchases, enjoys its fashion and is consistently experimenting. In a culture that believes in exuberance, my undergraduate thesis taught me what it meant to be sustainable in India's fashion dynamic.
From the thesis defense — the environmental cost of fast fashion.
The Gap No One Talks About
Are people aware? Yes. Are people supportive towards sustainable fashion? Yes. Does it affect their buying behaviour? No.
The study tested whether environmental awareness correlates with participation in circular economy practices. The result: no significant relationship found. Awareness and positive attitudes toward sustainable fashion do not drive purchase behaviour — the data confirmed it.
Awareness and attitude are no longer drivers of behaviour in fashion. The choice is far deeper, rooted in what a person stands for, their identity, their capability and their belief systems. Sustainable fashion and lifestyles is what everyone desires, and yet people fall short in translating their beliefs into actions. The problem goes much beyond awareness.
Interviewing people taught me this firsthand. There was an acceptance, almost universal, that fast fashion is a trouble-maker. The knowledge gap is not the issue. What is missing is the bridge between knowing and doing.
What Actually Does Move Behaviour
Three things, essential and core to the Indian consumer, define what supports sustainable fashion.
Pricing. Younger consumers are price-sensitive, and while apathy plays a role, sustainable fashion is inaccessible purely due to income disparity. While so many younger consumers want to make sustainable choices, the pitfall is the cost of consuming sustainably and the limited availability of sustainable clothes.
Identity. Younger consumers look at fashion as a form of expression, as a statement. Where a sustainable identity drives consumption, personal beliefs and expression become a far greater motivator than guilt. Those who know the harm of fast fashion are aware of the positives of sustainable fashion, and despite that, it comes down to what they want to communicate about themselves.
The circular economy in India is not absent. It is informal, and it is waiting to be formalised.
Culture. Reusing, repairing and haute couture are already a strong force in India, but the concern is that it remains informal and unrecognised. Interviewing people revealed how a circular economy has always been in practice here, where clothing is passed down across generations and donated to househelps, support staff and their families. Both the young and the old believed in expanding the lifespan of a piece of clothing. The circular economy in India is not absent. It is informal, and it is waiting to be formalised.
The Trust Problem
India is a low-trust society, and scepticism over sources, quality and greenwashing creates the biggest trust problem among consumers. From producers and distributors of fashion, the only expectation consumers hold is transparency and honesty about what a piece of clothing truly means.
So What Now
As marketers, the goal is to not make the consumer guilty about their fashion choices. It is about flipping the table into something far more actionable. Making sustainable choices an identity statement, making honesty the true driver of marketing, and working on accessibility will drive the change.
The circular habits of the Indian consumer are an asset that already exists. All it will take is recognising the strength of that asset to make the country a more sustainable consumer of fashion.
Trust. Identity. And Access.
Move beyond awareness. Identity, belonging and culture pivot behaviour — not information campaigns.
Leverage cultural narratives. Position thrifting and buybacks as part of India's cultural legacy, not a Western import.
Build trust through transparency. Honest communication about practices — not just collection drives — is what drives adoption.
Formalise informal practices. Integrate existing reuse behaviours like donations and hand-me-downs into structured brand initiatives.
Reframe sustainability as identity. Shift from guilt-based messaging to self-expression and trend alignment.
Make price work. Emphasise value and accessibility. The willingness is there. The entry point needs to be easier.
Source
Sustainable Fashion and Consumer Practices: An Exploratory Study
Darsh Modi · Amrut Mody School of Management, Ahmedabad University · 2026
Based on 500 survey responses, 25 in-depth interviews, and 2 industry professional interviews.
