The market for sustainable fashion - Italy (2023)

1.2 The global market

The global sustainable fashion market was valued at $*,***.* million in **** and is expected to reach $**,*** million in **** with a compound annual growth rate (***) of *.*% from **** to ****.

Sustainable fashion market value World, ****-****, millions of dollars thebusinessresearchcompany

In ****, the market share of sustainable clothing is *.*%. However, due to the growing interest in sustainability and social responsibility of industrial activities, the market share is expected to grow to *.*% by ****.(***) In ****, through online search counts, the United Kingdom emerges as the most interested country in sustainable fashion with ***.** searches per ***,*** population. This is followed by Ireland, New Zealand, Iceland, and Australia.

Online searches for sustainable clothing World, ****, no./***,*** population jewellerybox

1.3 The Italian market

In ****, the fashion market in Italy is worth ** billion euros. If only the apparel compartment is considered, the value stands at ** billion euros. Between **** and ****, the apparel market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (***) of *.* percent.

Value of the apparel market Italy, ****-****, billion euros Globaldata

Regarding the sustainable fashion sector, no data are available to quantify the value of the market. However, it seems safe to assume that this sector will grow in the coming years in light of the forecasts regarding the clothing market in Italy and the sustainable fashion market worldwide. In support of what has just been said, between **** and ****, online sales of sustainable clothing increased by ** percent(***)In addition, the import of sustainable fabrics obtained from processing flax and hemp, among the most widely used in the production of sustainable clothing, have been increasing in recent years. Between **** and ****, the import of linen fabric grew by ** percent while that of hemp fabric grew by ***.* percent.

1.4 Import - Export

In order to analyze Italy's trade in sustainable fashion, it was decided to look at imports and exports of the main fabrics used in this field: flax, cotton and hemp.

For flax, until **** the export coverage index showed a condition of trade surplus for Italy. In ****, a year-on-year increase in imports of **.* percent, compared with stable exports in the medium term, meant that Italy moved from being a net exporter to a net importer.

Import - export linen fabric Italy, ****-****, millions of dollars UN Comtrade

Regarding fabric obtained from hemp, this represents the least developed market among the three surveyed. Between **** and ****, Italy has always been a net importer, as evidenced by the coverage index always below * during the period considered. Hemp fabric import - export Italy, ****-****, millions of dollars UN Comtrade finally, the trade balance of cotton fabric hangs sharply on the side of imports during the entire ****-**** period, with trade value double that of exports in ****. Cotton fabric imports - exports Italy, ****-****, millions of dollars UN Comtrade China is the main country from which Italy imports linen fabric, accounting for **.* percent of the total. It is followed by Tunisia, Lithuania, Germany and France. Main countries ...

1.5 The impact of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict

The outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in February **** has led to a general increase in the consumer price index, among other things. The apparel sector is not exempt from the inflationary movement over the past year, and as of August ****, the consumer price index is ***. This means that prices have increased by *% compared to **** and *% compared to January ****.

Consumer price index for clothing for the entire community Italy, ****-****, base ****=*** ISTAT

At the same time, production in the textile industry has seen a general increase in prices. Considering the Italian market alone, the price index for the textile industry grew by **.* points between January **** and June ****. Compared to ****, prices grew by **.* percent. Textile industry producer prices Italy, ****-****, base ****=*** ISTAT An increase in producer prices for the textile industry can also be seen for the European market. Between January **** and June ****, the price index increased by **.* points. Compared to ****, the increase is +**.* percent.

Textile industry producer prices Italy, ****-****, base ****=*** ISTAT

Overall, the producer price of the textile industry in Italy increased by **.* points compared to January ****. Compared with ****, the producer price grew by **.* percent.

Textile industry producer prices Italy, ****-****, base ****=*** ISTAT

2.1 Demand in Italy

between **** and ****, the average monthly expenditure of Italian households on clothing purchases dropped by **.*%. In **** there is the lowest figure as a result of the pandemic outbreak while in **** it is possible to see a **.*% year-on-year increase in spending.

Average monthly expenditure on clothing Italy, ****-****, euros ISTAT

Also between **** and ****, the share of households saying they will decrease their clothing purchases compared to the previous year increased by *.* percent. The share of those who say they have not changed their purchasing habits is found to be growing until ****, when it reaches ** percent of respondents compared to **.* percent of those who limit their spending. However, in ****, the share of households limiting clothing purchases turns out to be *.* percent higher.

Household spending habits on clothing Italy, ****-****, % ISTAT Regarding sustainable fashion, **% and **% of consumers in **** were influenced by the ethics and working conditions offered by different clothing brands, respectively. In addition, ** percent of Italian consumers say they trust "a lot" (***). Main requirements of sustainable clothing for consumers Italy, ****, % Fashionunited

2.2 Demand drivers

The main drivers of demand for sustainable garments in Italy are:

Environmental sustainability sustainable fabrics are produced without the use of pesticides and environmentally harmful chemicals. lower resource use. The fashion industry is responsible for ** percent of the world's water waste each year. less pollution during the production process. **% of global Co* emissions are generated by the textile industry.(***) Social sustainability: sustainable fashion promotes a production process that respects the ethics and health of workers throughout the supply chain through fair pay and working conditions that respect the dignity of the individual.(***) Economic sustainability: products made from natural fibers such as linen, cotton or hemp, while more expensive, are found to be more durable than synthetic fibers. The greater durability of sustainable products results in lower CPW (***) Animal protection: the fast fashion industry is responsible for **% of ocean pollution caused by microplastics. Sustainable fashion does not use toxic dyes and agents.(***)

2.3 The geographical distribution of demand

To visualize the geographic distribution of demand, a map was created with the average monthly expenditure per household on clothing by macro-region. Spending on sustainable clothing is assumed to be in line with spending on clothing in general.

The highest expenditure is in the Islands, with a monthly average of €**.* per household. This is followed by the Northeast with €**.** monthly, the Northwest with €**.**, and in the South, households spend an average of €**.** per month. Finally, the Center presents the lowest figure, with a monthly average of €**.** per household.

2.4 New trends in demand

The sustainable clothing industry, by virtue of its recent expansion, is continually undergoing the flow of new trends. In recent years, in particular, it is possible to detect some of them:

The production and marketing of new sustainable fabrics such as Tencel, made from cellulose, bamboo fiber, and ***% recycled polyester. The growth of the second-hand market: it is expected to grow ** times faster than the classic retail market and by **** this market could be worth $*** billion(***). Upcycling: this is the creative recovery of any material, especially used clothes and leftover stock that would otherwise have to be disposed of. Some of the most prestigious fashion houses, such as Prada, MiuMiu, and Hermes, have launched collections based on this practice.(***) Use of AI: The use of artificial intelligence can reduce a brand's emissions by up to ** percent by digitally creating samples and garments during the design phase.(***) Fashion renting: the practice of renting clothes displayed in storefronts instead of purchasing them is becoming increasingly popular. Between **** and ****, this market is expected to grow by *.* percent.(***)

As for the "second-hand" fashion market, in ****, second-hand clothing accounted for *-*% of the global clothing market. By the end of ****, "pre-loved" clothes are expected to account ...

3.1 The market structure

The analysis of the fashion market structure is carried out on the basis of data on the textile industry sector (***). Specifically, the number of active enterprises in Italy, the number of people employed in the industry and the legal form of enterprises are highlighted.

Number of enterprises:

Between **** and ****, the number of textile enterprises in Italy decreased by **.* percent. The decline appears to be constant throughout the period under consideration.

Number of textile enterprises Italy, ****-****, in number ISTAT

Employment:

between **** and ****, the number of people employed in the textile industry declined by *.* percent in Italy. The decline in enterprises combined with the decline in employment indicates a slowdown in the textile industry in Italy.

Employment in the textile industry Italy, ****-****, in numbers ISTAT

Legal form:

In ****, the legal form of sole proprietorship appears to be the most common in the textile industry, accounting for **.* percent of the total. This is followed by S.R.L., general partnership, other forms of enterprise and finally joint stock companies. Legal form textile companies Italy, ****, % ISTAT

3.2 Value chain

3.3 Distribution

Wholesale:

In ****, there are **,*** enterprises dedicated to the wholesale trade of clothing in Italy. Compared to ****, the figure is decreasing, with a decline during the ****-**** period of **.*%.

Apparel wholesale trade enterprises Italy, ****-****, in number ISTAT

retail:

As for retail, the decline in specialized businesses between **** and **** is evident. In five years, the number of businesses has dropped by **.* percent.

Apparel retail enterprises Italy, ****-****, in number ISTAT

In ****, there are **,*** establishments specializing in apparel retail trade, with a predominance of the "sole proprietor, freelancer and self-employed" category composing **.*% of the total. This is followed by S.R.L. at **.* percent, simple partnerships at *.* percent, general partnerships at *.* percent and other forms at *.* percent. Legal form of apparel retail enterprises Italy, ****, % ISTAT

3.4 The main manufacturers

Some of the leading Italian manufacturers of ***% sustainable clothing are:

Womsh: founded in ****, this company specializes in the production of footwear. The company's goals include offsetting emissions and using up to ***% renewable energy. A material made by mixing apple fiber with polyurethane, among others, is used to produce the footwear.

Rebello: founded in ****, was among the first Italian companies in the industry to understand the potential of sustainable fashion. It firmly opposes the fast fashion industry and adopts premium sustainable materials such as eucalyptus, beech, ***% recycled PET and cashmere.

Casagin: founded in **** in Milan, began its journey as a women's underwear company but soon expanded its production to other garments. In ****, it was named "Most Innovative Startup of ****" by the MiT Technology Review in Boston and now has more than ** stores throughout Italy and the world.

Opera Campi: was founded in **** in Parma and takes up the long Emilian tradition of hemp processing. Production is focused on knitwear and the fabrics used are mainly hemp fiber, lanapa (***) and herotex, an elasticized hemp fiber.

Rifò: founded in ****, this company combines circular economy, craftsmanship and sustainable fashion. The goal behind this project is to create regenerated and regenerable products with full respect for ...

4.1 Type of the offer

Sustainable fashion focuses attention on the entire production chain, from the raw material to the finished product's confenation. The goal of sustainable fashion is to promote a market that is attentive to the needs not only of society as a set of consumers but of the community and the environment. The cornerstones of this sector concern the promotion of women's employment, social justice for workers, and the redefinition of a production process that has become too fast and environmentally unconcerned.(***)

Sustainable clothing offerings can be divided into three categories based on the fabric used:

recycled fabric: synthetic fabrics are restored to their original composition through a depolymerization process and due to their nature they retain their qualities. Certifications such as the Global Recycled Standard have been created in order to ensure that the fiber sold actually comes from recycled and not virgin material. Among the most widely used we can find recycled nylon (***) and recycled polyester. regenerated fabric: materials that come from the harvesting of discarded clothing, from post-consumer items from other industries, or from scraps and remnants produced at different stages of the supply chain are used in the production process. Among the most common are regenerated cotton and regenerated ...

4.2 The prices

Clothing items made from sustainable materials typically cost * to * times more than those from fast fashion chains. The higher cost of sustainable fashion finds justification in several factors:

High quality of fabrics Reduced market size compared to fast fashion Costs to be incurred for certifications Reduced company size and inability to create economies of scale Production not relocated to developing countries: establishing production in Italy involves higher personnel costs.

4.3 Nuove tendenze nell'offerta

5.1 The legislation

The sustainable clothing market is regulated by various laws and regulations at both the national and European levels. The regulatory framework is aimed at ensuring: the safety of the products put on the market, the quality of the fabrics used, and the respect for the environment during the entire production process. Some of the main laws and regulations for the Italian market are:

Regulation (***) ****/****: referred to as the "REACH" regulation, this legislation deals with the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemical substances. EU Regulation ****/****: concerning textile fiber names and the labeling and marking of the fiber composition of textile products. Directive ****/***/EC: establishes a framework for eco-design in textile products. Legislative Decree No. ***/****: establishes mandatory separate collection and disposal of textile waste. EU Regulation ***/****: establishes a framework that favors sustainable investments. Law No. *** of ****: Article ** of the Collegato Ambientale establishes a certification tool related to environmental performance based on the quantification of impacts based on Lifecycle Assessment (***).

6.1 Segmentation

Italy:

BRAND BILLING WOMSH €**.****.*** (***) REBELLO €*.***.*** (***) CASAGIN €***.*** (***) OPERA FIELDS €***.*** (***) RIFO' €*.***.*** (***) KAMPOS €***.*** (***) Foreign: BRAND BILLING PATAGONIA $*.***.***.*** (***) TIMBERLAND $*.***.***.*** (***) STELLA MCCARTNEY $**.***.*** (***) NANUSHKA $**.***.*** (***) G-STAR $***.***.*** (***) COG N/A MUDJEANS N/A

• Kampos
• Rifò
• Opera Campi
• Casagin
• Rebello
• Womsh
• Patagonia
• Timberland