Assessing consumer purchasing behaviour, use and disposal of clothes towards sustainable practices: a case in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Ghana

Purpose This paper aims to investigate consumer sustainability awareness. In addition, it examined consumer purchasing behaviour as well as the use and disposal of used clothes. Design/methodology/approach To investigate consumers’ understanding of sustainability, clothing consumption, use and disposal of cloth. Primary data was gathered through the use of open-ended questionnaires. The study used a total of 56 consumers. Findings It was shown that consumers are aware of sustainability as a worldwide concern. It was also established that customers occasionally buy garments based on their hobbies and end up not using all of the clothes before the season ends. They also revealed that destroying or discarding used clothing can be bad for the economy, the environment and society. Research limitations/implications Consumers in Bolgatanga were the primary subject of this investigation. Different outcomes might be produced if the study was conducted in different regions of Ghana. Practical implications Outlining the behaviour of consumers is important to advance awareness on sustainability to avoid congesting the environment/society with used clothes. Social implications To reduce the potential impact that clothing may have on the many agents of sustainability, fashion designers ought to provide instructions to consumers on how to use and dispose of clothing. Originality/value This study contributes to policy development strategies of disposing off used clothes and consumers purchasing behaviour of clothes.