Sustainable innovation in fashion: Leveraging digital product passports for transparent product information and enhanced brand perception communication

The fashion industry is undergoing a technological shift toward sustainable innovation in response to growing consumer expectations for transparency and environmental accountability. Digital product passports have emerged as a communication tool that supports traceability and circular economy practices by providing detailed product-level information. Despite rising industry interest, limited research has examined how attributes of digital product passports influence consumer perceptions of brands that adopt them. Drawing on cue utilization theory and diffusion of innovation theory, this study investigates how six digital product passport attributes (i.e., observability, simplicity, trialability, relative advantage, compatibility, green transparency) influence two aspects of brand value: technological competence and green value. The study further assesses how these two aspects of brand value shape overall brand attitude and whether these effects differ by consumer age. Data analysis involved survey data from 302 U.S. consumers. Structural equation modeling results indicate that observability, compatible advantage (relative advantage + compatibility), and green transparency significantly enhance perceived brand technological competence, whereas accessibility (simplicity + trialability) does not. Compatible advantage and green transparency also significantly influence brand green value. Both technological competence and green value positively affect brand attitude, with mediation results showing that these constructs partially explain how the attributes of digital product passports shape consumer evaluations. Hierarchical regression results demonstrated the significant moderation effects of age, strengthening the influence of both value dimensions on brand attitude among older consumers. Findings show that strategically integrating transparency, compatibility, and visible innovation enables fashion businesses to strengthen both technological distinctiveness and sustainability performance.