Sustainable fashion: consumers prioritize transparency and education, Paris Good Fashion reveals

The association Paris Good Fashion asked participants in its citizen consultation the question: “How can we make dressing sustainably and ethically desirable?”. Over 168,000 participants took part in the exercise.

The main finding was that respondents' primary expectation is for more information, transparency and education, as they find the current offering complex to understand.

Second citizen consultation led by Paris Good Fashion

From February 19 to April 16, 2026, the Paris Good Fashion association conducted a second citizen consultation, following the one in 2020. This was in partnership with Make.org, the city of Paris and with the support of several companies (Etam, Groupe Eram, Kiabi, Lacoste, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, Le Bon Marché, SMCP, Karla Otto).

The question posed to participants was: “How can we make dressing sustainably and ethically desirable?”. The consultation involved nearly 170,000 participants in several countries: around 107,000 in France, 32,000 in Italy, 17,700 in the US and 11,499 in the UK.

481,156 votes were recorded, resulting in 1,680 proposals submitted, 1,449 validated after moderation and 915 receiving over 70 percent approval.

The first finding was that women were the majority of participants, accounting for 82 percent, compared to 17 percent men and one percent non-binary individuals.

The second finding was that those over 55 represented 52 percent of respondents. The 35-54 age group accounted for 32 percent of the sample, versus 16 percent for 18-34 year olds.

Information, transparency and education: need to simplify the message becomes more urgent

Information, transparency and education was the theme with the most proposals, at 31 percent in 2026 compared to 15 percent in 2020. Citizens stated they do not understand sustainable fashion and requested simple, reliable and comparable information.

“The first thing that stands out is that the people consulted do not understand sustainable fashion,” commented Isabelle Lefort, co-founder and executive director of Paris Good Fashion. “They do not know how to buy sustainable fashion and there is a general sense of suspicion about the information provided.”

Additionally, 43 percent of proposals related to information on fashion's impact. A further 28 percent called for greater product transparency. “People want education, information, explanations, guidance and training,” added Lefort.

Circular economy: repair and second-hand remain priorities

The circular economy was the second most cited theme, with 219 proposals making up 23.9 percent of the total. Its significance is considered broadly stable compared to the 2020 consultation, at 23.9 percent in 2026 versus 25 percent in 2020.

The primary topics mentioned were repair, second-hand fashion and clothing rental, with the latter identified as a point of controversy.

Pace of fashion: consumers call for a slowdown

This was the third most mentioned theme, with 13.9 percent of proposals. The subject is not limited to ultra-fast fashion. Participants condemned the volume of products, the proliferation of collections, marketing pressure and the feeling that “fashion is moving too fast”.

According to the organisers, respondents from the US and the UK support this idea of a slowdown even more than those from France or Italy.

In parallel, an emerging trend was that participants are calling for more clothing adapted to diverse body shapes. This theme was absent from the 2020 consultation.

They specifically mentioned issues with accessing clothing due to the available sizes and cuts. “Customers want to find clothes they like, but when they get to the store, they cannot find anything to wear,” noted Lefort.

Health: clothing quality becomes a central criterion

The organisers had expected the issues of price and ultra-fast fashion to feature prominently. This was not the case.

The citizen consultation revealed a strong demand for sustainable clothing, natural materials and products deemed to be of higher quality and more desirable. “There is a desire for creative, quality products that last. People are willing to pay a fair price, provided they are sure of what they are buying.” This directly contradicts the idea that price is the respondents' main concern.

In this regard, health is an emerging concern, particularly in relation to textile composition and regulatory compliance.

A total of 38 consensus-based proposals directly mentioned skin allergies; PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances); endocrine disruptors; and carcinogenic risks associated with clothing.

According to PGF and make.org, this subject was completely absent from the previous consultation five years ago.

Relocalisation: respondents expect increased support from public authorities

Relocalisation accounted for 12.5 percent of proposals. Manufacturing in France is associated with quality, compliance with standards and local employment. “Producing in France is synonymous with quality and respect for employment regulations.”

In general, 255 proposals called for greater intervention from public authorities to regulate, supervise, arbitrate and support the ecological transition.

To present the full results of this citizen consultation, Paris Good Fashion has scheduled its next key event, the Midsummer Camp, for July 8 and 9, 2026, at the Domaine de Chaalis.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com