Shoppers know fast fashion harms environment but keep buying: study

New RMIT University research suggests environmental awareness alone may not stop people buying ultra-fast fashion, with price and convenience trumping sustainability concerns for shoppers.

The study published in the Journal of Global Fashion Marketing comes as a Roy Morgan survey revealed that leading fast fashion retailers Temu and Shein picked up more than one million extra Australian customers between them last year, with 5 million Australians buying from Temu and 2.9 million from Shein.

RMIT study co-author Associate Professor Carol Tan said despite this trend it was important to understand that ultra-fast-fashion shopping was not simply thoughtless or impulsive.

She said participants in their study weighed sustainability against price and convenience, then used budgets and careful planning to make their choices feel more acceptable.

"These shoppers weren't necessarily acting without thought. Some spent time building wish-lists, parking items in their carts and waiting for the right time to buy, even though they still experienced the eventual purchase as spontaneous," she said.

"The findings invite us to think differently about the planning and decision-making that can sit behind ultra-fast-fashion purchases."

The researchers identified two psychological patterns that helped explain the apparent contradiction: "strategic spontaneity" and "cognitive buffering".

Strategic spontaneity describes how shoppers prepared for purchases by building wish-lists, parking items in carts, monitoring discounts and waiting for payday, while still experiencing the eventual purchase as spontaneous.

One participant captured the planning behind the purchase: "I add things to my cart and wait for payday or a discount notification."

Participants also described social media as an important influence, exposing them to trends and making it easier to move quickly from discovering an item to buying it.

One participant recalled: "I'll be scrolling through TikTok and see someone styling a Shein haul. Ten minutes later, I've got the same three items in my cart."

What participants clicked on, searched for and saved also influenced the recommendations and promotions they saw next, which could keep them engaged with the platforms.

Study co-author Associate Professor Saniyat Islam said participants were often aware of ultra-fast fashion's environmental impact, but this knowledge did not necessarily change their behaviour.

"Instead, some created personal rules or limits that helped them feel more comfortable going ahead with a purchase," he said.

The researchers called this "cognitive buffering", in which shoppers used budgets, spending limits and other rationalisations to make purchases feel more acceptable despite their concerns.

For one participant, that meant temporarily putting those concerns aside: "I know it's bad for the planet, but when I'm on a budget and need an outfit for Saturday, I just block that out."

Shopping with the head or the heart?

Tan said the findings suggested that simply raising awareness of ultra-fast fashion's environmental impact may not be enough to change behaviour.

"Many participants already understood the environmental concerns, but affordability, convenience and the desire for something new could still take priority," she said.

"If we want to encourage more sustainable choices, we need to understand not only what consumers know, but how they make purchases feel acceptable despite that knowledge."

The researchers said sustainability messages could be more effective if they spoke to shoppers' immediate priorities, including affordability and value for money.

Showing a garment's cost per wear, for example, could help consumers compare the long-term value of durable clothing with cheaper items that may be worn only a few times.

The study drew on interviews with 20 Australian millennials and was designed to provide deeper insight into their purchasing decisions, rather than determine how common these behaviours are across Australia.

'Strategic spontaneity and cognitive buffering in ultra-fast fashion consumption: Extending the S-O-R framework through Dual-process theory', by Finela Quiambao, Carol Tan and Saniyat Islam, is published in the Journal of Global Fashion Marketing. (DOI: 10.1080/20932685.2026.2715111)

Story: Aеdеn Ratcliffе