Predicting clothing disposal : the moderating roles of clothing sustainability knowledge and self-enhancement values

The purpose of the study was to identify factors that predicted clothing disposal with a focus on testing the moderating roles of knowledge (i.e., clothing sustainability knowledge) and personal values (i.e., self-enhancement), while introducing a new concept of consumers' self-perception of owning (SPO). Data were collected from university students through an online survey using Qualtrics. Results showed that the influence of self-perception of owning (SPO) in consumers’ disposal behaviors, specifically how long they keep clothing before disposing of it, was unexpected and contrary to predictions. The direct relationships between amount of clothing purchases and self-perception of owning (SPO) and between SPO and clothing disposal behavior (i.e., duration of keeping clothing items before disposal) were not found in this study. The interaction results, however, indicated that the positive relationship between clothing purchases and SPO existed and was strengthened for participants who had a high level of clothing sustainability knowledge, but not for those participants who had moderate or low level of clothing sustainability knowledge. Additionally, the study found that the negative relationship between SPO and how long participants would keep clothing before disposing of it became even stronger for those participants who valued greatly personal success and achievement in life than those who did not value personal success and achievement as much.