The influence of personality traits on the Willingness to Pay for sustainable fashion

Sustainability has become a long-term priority in today’s global landscape with significant implications for politics, economics, business strategies and consumer behaviour. This is particularly relevant in the fashion industry, widely recognized as one of the most polluting and socially contested sectors. A critical shift toward a circular economy is therefore required, transforming traditional models of production and economic growth into more sustainable dynamics. In the context of fashion, this shift is closely tied to eliminating the “throwaway culture” upon which the global fast fashion model depends on. The relevance of sustainability is increasing acknowledged by market participants, who recognize its value not only as risk mitigator but also as driver of competitive advantage and innovation. Consequently, many fashion brands are adopting sustainable practices and offering eco-friendly apparel to attract ethically conscious consumers. This thesis analyses consumer willingness to pay for sustainable apparel, investigating the possible relationships between the Big Five Personality Traits (Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism) and consumers’ Willingness to Pay for sustainable fashion. Furthermore, the moderating effects of Need for Uniqueness and Materialism will be hypothesized. The proposed hypotheses were tested using a quantitative approach. A survey was conducted, collecting 113 valid responses. Subsequently, data were analysed using the PLS-SEM technique with SmartPLS 4 software, assessing both the measurement and structural models. The analysis confirmed only two hypotheses: agreeableness significantly and positively influences consumers’ willingness to pay for sustainable fashion, while materialism showed a significant negative relationship. Furthermore, the two hypothesized moderating effects were not statistically significant, hence the relative hypotheses could not be supported.