Volume 24 Issue 4 Article 5 
December 2022 
A Qualitative Study of Mindfulness, Sustainable Consumption and A Qualitative Study of Mindfulness, Sustainable Consumption and 
Consumer Well-Being and their Interrelationships Consumer Well-Being and their Interrelationships 
Saba Resnik 
University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business, PhD Student, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 
saba.resnik@gmail.com 
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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation 
Resnik, S. (2022). A Qualitative Study of Mindfulness, Sustainable Consumption and Consumer Well-Being 
and their Interrelationships. Economic and Business Review, 24(4), 260-277. https://doi.org/10.15458/
2335-4216.1313 
This Original Article is brought to you for free and open access by Economic and Business Review. It has been 
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
A Qualitative Study of Mindfulness, Sustainable
Consumption and Consumer Well-Being and
their Interrelationships
Saba Resnik
University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business, PhD Student, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
Consumers are becomingincreasingly aware ofthe environmental degradation,negative economic consequences and
social injustices caused by the unsustainable consumption of clothing products. Overall, therefore, sustainability re-
quiresmoresustainableproductionoffashionapparelproductsaswellasmoreresponsibleconsumptionbehavioursby
individual consumers. To gain a clearer picture of the concepts of mindfulness, sustainable consumption and consumer
well-being and their interrelationships, in-depth interviews were conducted with individual consumers. The results of
this study indicate a positive relationship between these three concepts as well as an overlap between the concepts of
mindfulness and well-being.
Keywords: Sustainable consumption, Consumer well-being, Mindfulness, Fashion apparel consumption, Sustainability,
Fast fashion
JEL classification: M31, Q53, Q56
Introduction
T
he ecological crisis demands new strategies to
rapidly transform our society into a more
sustainable one. Current consumption patterns are
unsustainable and the consumption of goods and
services, including textiles and clothing, has a sig-
nificant environmental impact and must be
addressed as an immediate environmental research
priority. The product life cycle of apparel products
(from the manufacturing of fibres to the disposal of
garments) contributes towards the degradation of
the environment, and as long as the unsustainable
consumption of apparel products persists, the
environmental degradation will continue as well.
Overall, therefore, sustainability requires efforts by
the textile industry to produce more sustainable
products as well as more environmentally respon-
sible clothing consumption behaviour among con-
sumers (Connell & Kozar, 2014). Many researchers
have identified a weak association between attitude
and behaviour in the context of sustainable con-
sumption (Amel et al., 2009; Prothero et al., 2011;
Thøgersen, 1994; Young et al., 2010). However, it
seems that although consumers are aware of the
negative consequences of consumption for them-
selves, society, businesses and the environment
(Quelch, 2007), they tend not tobehaveaccording to
their intentions (Kollmuss & Agyeman, 2002). One
possibleexplanationforthisisthatconsumersoften
make unconscious decisions, running on autopilot
in their day-to-day consumption without much
attentionandawareness,whicheventuallyresultsin
unsustainable consumption practices (Armstrong&
Jackson, 2015; Bargh & Chartrand, 1999; Jackson,
2005; Shove& Warde, 1997).
Lack of sufficient attention and awareness is
sometimesattributedtoconsumers'mindlessnessin
their consumption decisions (Langer, 1992; Langer
& Ngnoumen, 2002). Mindless consumption entails
payinglittle attention to one's consumption options,
lacking awareness of the consequences of one's de-
cisions and possibly tending to rely on existing
Received 22 March 2021; accepted 27 September 2021.
Available online 1 December 2022
E-mail address: saba.resnik@gmail.com.
https://doi.org/10.15458/2335-4216.1313
2335-4216/© 2022 School of Economics and Business University of Ljubljana. This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

distinctions, such as social norms and convenience,
to make consumption decisions (Subramaniam,
2016). Therefore, it is important to empower con-
sumerstomakeconsciousconsumptionchoicesthat
promoteindividual,socialandecologicalwell-being
(Mick, 2012). Research suggests that one way to
achievethisistoenhancemindfulnessinconsumers
e a capability that individuals already possess
(Langer,1989;Rosenberg,2004).Mindfulnessisboth
a trait and a psychological construct that refers to a
specific quality of being in the moment (Pagnini&
Langer, 2015). By being mindful, individuals may
behave in a way that aligns more closely with their
values and interests (Brown & Ryan, 2003; Ryan
et al., 1997; Shapiro et al., 2006), consequently
strengthening the weak association between atti-
tude and behaviour. Thus, mindfulness may fill the
gap between attitude and behaviour that has been
identified as an obstacle in some unsustainable
consumption contexts (Prothero et al., 2011;
Thøgersen, 1994; Young et al., 2010).
The fashion industry in general, more than any
other industry, embraces obsolescence (Abra-
hamson, 2011) e it forms the basis for profits e
whichisinoppositiontothecriteriaofsustainability
(Cimatti et al., 2017). The issue of sustainability is,
therefore, crucial in the fashion business and has
received considerable attention from consumers
(Shen et al., 2014). Consequently, the fashion in-
dustry in general and the fast fashion industry in
particular are key components of the debate about
sustainable consumption. Environmental degrada-
tion, hazardous chemicals, low wages, violation of
workers’ rights and child labour are all issues that
plague the fashion industry (Fletcher, 2008). More-
over, with the emergence of fast fashione products
thataretrendy,inexpensiveanddisposable(Cachon
&Swinney,2011)etherateoffashionobsolescence,
presumably, has sped up. This raises ethical and
environmental issues because it clearly embodies
unsustainability(Blyetal.,2015;Cimattietal.,2017).
Theecologicalcrisisdemandsnewstrategiestolead
the society into a more sustainable one (Thiermann
& Sheate, 2021). Thus, the present study addressed
this problem by investigating the role of mindful-
ness in fashion apparel consumption.
With the help of science, we as a society are
starting to tackle the misleading belief that con-
sumption is at the core of well-being, realizing that
happiness is not necessarily something one attains
through more material wealth. Consumer well-
being is defined as subjective well-being that arises
from consumers’ experiences (Lee et al., 2002). It
specifically focuses on the well-being of individuals
as consumers and the notion that it is important to
consider consumption-related aspects (Lee & Ahn,
2016). Today, it is no longer possible to imagine a
future where the pursuit of happiness is not some-
howconnectedtosustainability,andmoreemphasis
must be placed on the interaction between sustain-
ability and well-being (Landes et al., 2015). This
study, thus, investigated the connection between
sustainability and well-being.
The study about the role of mindfulness in
shaping sustainable consumption and consumer
well-being in the fashion apparel context contrib-
utes to the existing literature in several ways. First,
the study offers a comprehensive understanding of
the role of mindfulness in sustainable consumption.
Although previous studies have investigated this
role (Bahl et al., 2016; Brown& Kasser, 2005; Geiger
et al., 2020; Rosenberg, 2004) and have examined
how mindfulness affects sustainability and pro-
environmental behaviour (Fischer et al., 2017;
Siqueira & Pitassi, 2016; Wamsler, 2018; Wamsler
et al., 2018), academic studies on mindfulness
remain scarce in sustainability research (Wamsler,
2018). Second, most of the studies found a modest
positive relationships between different aspects of
mindfulness and different types of self-reported
sustainable consumption behaviour (Geiger et al.,
2020). This study further contributes to a better
understanding of the relationship between mind-
fulness and sustainable consumption of fashion
apparel products. Third, a review of the existing
literature on consumer happiness and well-being
indicates that there are several competing or alter-
native models that aim to explore the dynamics of
consumer happiness (e.g. El Hedhli et al., 2013;
Sheth et al., 2011; Swart& Rothmann, 2012; Yang&
Stening, 2012; Yang Zhong & Mitchell, 2013).
Namely, several studies and theoretical frameworks
conceptualize and study the connections between
sustainability and positive psychology theory as the
main disciplines fundamental in the various con-
cepts of well-being (Dettori & Floris, 2019). None-
theless, these three constructs (mindfulness,
sustainable behaviour, and consumer well-being)
have rarely been combined in a single study. Given
theneedforamoreoverarchingapproach,thestudy
proposes a framework of the relationship between
mindfulness, sustainable consumption, and con-
sumer well-being. The goals of this study were to
shed light on how mindfulness can be used to limit
overconsumption tendencies and enhance pro-
environmental and pro-social behaviours at the in-
dividual consumer level, and to better understand
how mindfulness and sustainable consumption
promote individual consumer well-being in the
context of fashion apparel consumption.
ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277 261

The structure of the paper is as follows. First, the
existing literature on some of the theoretical
frameworksappliedinresearchingthelinkbetween
mindfulness, well-being and sustainable consump-
tion is briefly reviewed. Next, the theoretical
grounding for the research questions is presented
and the methodology used in this study. In the
section before discussion, the results of this quali-
tative study are presented. Lastly, the paper is
finished with a conclusion, limitations and sugges-
tions for future research.
1 Theoretical background
1.1 Sustainable consumption in the fashion
industry
Every decision about whether to consume (or not
consume) a product contributes to a more or less
sustainable pattern of consumption (Young et al.,
2010). Researchers often refer to sustainable con-
sumptionasatypeofconsumptionthatencompasses
several dimensions, including environmental, eco-
nomic and social dimensions (Balderjahn et al., 2013;
Geiger et al., 2018; Huang& Rust, 2011; Lim, 2017).
The Oslo Symposium (Norwegian Ministry of the
Environment,1994)definedsustainableconsumption
as follows: “the use of services and related products,
which respond to basic needs and bring a better
quality of life while minimizing the use of natural
resourcesandtoxicmaterialsaswellastheemissions
of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the
serviceorproductsoasnottojeopardizetheneedsof
further generations”.
In the context of apparel consumption, practically
everything from the manufacturing to the disposal
of apparel contributes towards the degradation of
ecosystem health, and as long as the unsustainable
consumption of apparel products persists, the
environmental degradation will continue as well.
Environmental integrity and overall sustainability
not only require efforts by textile and clothingfirms
to produce more sustainable products but also
necessitate changes in the clothing consumption
behaviour of individuals towards more environ-
mental responsibility (Connell & Kozar, 2014).
Concernaboutgreenconsumptionhasbeenrapidly
spreading among various communities in recent
decades, including the fashion community (Moon
et al., 2015). The components of sustainable fashion
extend along the product's entire life cycle from the
production stage to utilization and disposal (Moon
et al., 2013). Furthermore, environmentally
conscious fashion consumers no longer focus
exclusively on the appearance of a product (Moon
et al., 2015). They also pay attention to its green
features, such as the use of green materials, green
production processes, green logistics, reduced car-
bon emissions, recyclability and biodegradability
(Fletcher, 2008). Notoriously, fashion is also associ-
ated with numerous social problems such as pro-
hibiting workers from joining or initiating trade
unions, being abused, child labour, forced labour,
low pay, dangerous working conditions and more
(Niebank, 2018; Walk Free Foundation, 2018).
1.2 Mindfulness
Langer(1989)describedmindfulnessasacognitive
state of alertness and proactive awareness. Langer
(1992) further described mindfulness as “astateof
conscious awareness in which the individual is
implicitly aware of the context and content of infor-
mation.Itisastateofopennesstonoveltyinwhichthe
individual actively constructs categories and distinc-
tions”(p.289).Inaddition,Langer(1992)presentedthe
contrasttomindfulness,calledmindlessness,asastate
of mind where the individual relies heavily on cate-
goriesanddistinctionsdrawninthepast.
Peoplewhoaremindfulareawareoftheirthought
processes, deliberate in the choices they make and
have low susceptibility to the persuasive influence
of others (Rosenberg, 2004). However, instead of
mindful deliberation, consumers often make un-
conscious choices about what and how much they
will consume (Rosenberg, 2004). In line with the
mindfulness theory, the antidote to such uncon-
scious behaviour and automaticity lies in con-
sumers’ mindfulness. Highly mindful consumers
are thought to be highly involved, attentive and
aware, whereas consumers with low mindfulness
exhibit low levels of involvement and awareness of
market developments (Ndubisi, 2014). Accordingly,
with more mindfulness might come more attention
to the negative effects of consumerism,and mindful
consumersmightchoosenottobuycertainproducts
at all, to buy less in general or to recycle and reuse
more in an effort to create a less disposable econ-
omy (Rosenberg, 2004).
1.3 Consumer well-being
Regarding the terms happiness and well-being,
most authors (e.g. Diener, 2000; Ivens, 2007; Lyubo-
mirsky et al., 2005) use happiness and subjective
well-being as synonyms and, for the purpose of this
study, the researcher followed their lead. Since one
of the most important ways in which people pursue
happiness in a consumerist society is through con-
sumption (Yang Zhong& Mitchell, 2013), well-being
262 ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277

isanimportantconceptthatdeservesattentioninthe
marketing literature as well as in business practices.
In this study, the researcher followed Lee et al.’s
(2002) conceptualization of consumer well-being,
which is defined as subjective well-being that arises
from consumers' experiences. These experiences
involveacquisition(shoppingforgoodsandservices
in the local area), possession (product ownership),
consumption (use of goods and services), mainte-
nance (repair and servicing of consumer durables)
and disposal (selling, trading in or discarding con-
sumerdurables).Thetheoreticalassumptionbehind
this conceptualization is that consumers experience
satisfaction and dissatisfaction in relation to the
consumer experience and that overall satisfaction
with marketplace experiences influences overall
well-being (Sirgy et al., 2007).
Consumer well-being plays an important role in
overall life satisfaction and quality of life, as several
researchers have demonstrated (e.g. Lee et al., 2002;
Leelanuithanit et al., 1991; Sirgy, 2001; Sirgy& Lee,
2006). Therefore, one possible outcomeof consumer
well-being could be general satisfaction with life
and overall happiness.
1.4 Relationship between consumer mindfulness,
sustainable consumption and consumer well-being
Sinceourcultureoftenvaluesbusyindividualsand
peoplewhocanaccomplishmoreinlesstime(Lewis&
Cooper,1999),promotinganaturaltendencytooper-
ateonautopilotandusementalshortcuts,ratherthan
paying attention to individuals’ actions and choices,
seemslogical(Ameletal.,2009).Unfortunately,many
automatichabitsarenotsustainableandarelikelyto
remain unsustainable unless people change them
(Holland et al., 2006). Research supports the notion
that many of our daily decisions and actions are a
functionofautomaticprocessing(Bargh&Chartrand,
1999). This is in line with the mindfulness theory,
whichpresentsautomaticprocessingasmindlessness
anddescribesitasastateofmindcharacterizedbyan
overreliance on categories and distinctions drawn in
the past and in which the individual is context-
dependentand,assuch,oblivioustonovel(orsimply
alternative)aspectsofasituation(Langer,1992).
According to Langer (1989),first, when people are
mindful, before deciding what to do, they consider
the unique qualities of the situation at hand rather
than relying on strict categories developed through
previous experience. Second, they constantly build
their knowledge base by incorporating new and
diverse information. Third, since they can view sit-
uations from multiple perspectives, mindful people
will understand their impact on others. Thus,
consumers with a high level of mindfulness pay
close attention tothechoicespresented tothem and
actively seek new information about products and
their effects on the environment and society.
Furthermore, these consumers are aware of the
consequences of their decisions for themselves,
others and the environment.
As presented above, mindfulness theory supports
the notion that by being mindful, an individual
consumer is likely to behave more sustainably.
Accordingly, this study explored the relationship
between consumers’ mindfulness and their sus-
tainable consumption behaviours.
Mindfulness is often associated with positive psy-
chology and well-being (Brown & Ryan, 2003; Fre-
drickson, 2011; Ivtzan et al., 2016; Kabat-Zinn, 2005;
Langer, 2005; Lyubomirsky, 2008). Nevertheless, re-
searchers (e.g. Bahl et al., 2016)co nt in uetora is e
concerns about the under-researched area of the
benefits of consumer mindfulness. Langer'smind-
fulness theory positions mindfulness as the essence
of well-being, which involves noticing new things,
active orientation to the present, openness to new
information, continuous creation of new categories
and distinctions, sensitivity to different contexts and
awareness of multiple perspectives (Langer et al.,
1978). Following the Western approach of defining
the concept of mindfulness, this study explored the
relationship between consumers' mindfulness and
their happiness or well-being.
Manyresearchershavepresentedaclearconnection
between happiness and different types of consumer
behaviours, such as general sustainable behaviours
(Iwata,2001; Jacob& Brinkerhoff, 1999; Thompson&
Coskuner-Balli, 2007), ethical consumption (Szmigin
& Carrigan, 2006), waste reduction (Jacob & Brin-
kerhoff, 1999; Xiao & Li, 2011), voluntary simplicity
(Elgin, 1993), pro-social spending (Dunn et al., 2008)
andexperientialpurchasing(Carter&Gilovich,2010;
Dunn et al., 2011; Nicolao et al., 2009). Increasingly,
studies are establishing the link between sustainable
behaviour and several psychologically positive con-
sequences, such as happiness. However, studies
considering this relationship in the context of mind-
fulnessarelacking.Therefore,thepresentstudysheds
light on how sustainable consumption behaviour re-
latestoconsumerwell-being.
1.5 Research questions
Since our culture often values busy individuals
and those who can accomplish more in less time
(Lewis & Cooper, 1999), it is likely to promote an
individual'snaturaltendencytooperateonautopilot
and use mental shortcuts rather than pay more
ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277 263

attention to his or her actions and choices (Amel
et al., 2009). Unfortunately, many automatic habits
are not sustainable, and they are likely to stay un-
sustainable unless people change them (Holland
etal.,2006).Researchsupportsthenotionthatmany
of our daily decisions and actions are a function of
automatic processing (Bargh & Chartrand, 1999).
This is in line with the mindfulness theory, which
presents automatic processing as mindlessness and
describes it as a state of mind characterised by an
overrelianceoncategoriesanddistinctionsdrawnin
the past and in which the individual is context-
dependent and, as such, is oblivious to novel (or
simply alternative) aspects of the situation (Langer,
1992). According to Langer (1989), when people are
mindful,theyfirst considertheuniquequalitiesofa
situation before deciding what to do rather than
relying on strict categories developed through pre-
vious experience. Second, they constantly build
their knowledge base by incorporating new and
diverse information. Third, because they can view
situations from multiple perspectives, mindful
people will better understand their impact on
others. Thus, consumers with a higher level of
mindfulness pay more attention to the choices pre-
sented to them and actively seek new information
about the product and its impact on the environ-
mentandsociety.Furthermore,consumersaremore
aware of the consequences of their decisions on
themselves, others, and the environment. As pre-
sented above, mindfulness theory supports the
notion that, by being more mindful, an individual
consumer is likely to behave more sustainably.
Followingthisnotion,thestudytriedtoanswerhow
the concepts of mindfulness and sustainable con-
sumption are connected.
RQ1. How are the concepts of mindfulness and sus-
tainable consumption connected?
Mindfulness is often associated with positive psy-
chology and well-being (Brown & Ryan, 2003; Fre-
drickson, 2011; Ivtzan et al., 2011; Kabat-Zinn, 2005;
Langer, 2005; Lyubomirsky, 2012). Nevertheless, re-
searchers (e.g. Bahl et al., 2016) still raise concerns
about the under researched area of the benefits of
consumer mindfulness. In this paper, researcher
proposes a bridge between mindfulness theory and
positive psychology theory in that there exists a
connection between mindfulness and consumer
well-being. Langer's mindfulness theory positions
mindfulness as the essence of well-being which in-
volves noticing new things, active orientation in the
present, openness to new information, continuous
creation of new categories and distinctions, sensi-
tivitytodifferentcontexts,andawarenessofmultiple
perspectives (Langer et al., 1978). Following the
Western approach in defining the concept of mind-
fulness, the study tackled the question of how con-
sumers' mindfulness reflects individual well-being.
RQ2. Does consumer mindfulness reflect consumer
happiness or well-being?
Manyresearchershavepresentedaclearconnection
between happiness and different types of consumer
behaviours, such as general sustainable behaviours
(Iwata,2001;Jacob&Brinkerhoff,1999;Thompson&
Coskuner-Balli,2007),ethicalconsumption(Szmigin
&Carrigan,2006), reducing waste (Jacob etal.,2009;
Xiao & Li, 2011), voluntary simplicity (Elgin, 2010),
pro-social spending (Dunn et al., 2008), and expe-
riential purchasing (Carter & Gilovich, 2010; Dunn
etal.,2011;Nicolaoetal.,2009).Thereareagrowing
number of studies establishing the link between
sustainable behaviour and several psychologically
positive consequences, such as happiness, and the
study tried to answer how is sustainable consump-
tion related to consumer well-being.
RQ3. Is sustainable consumption positively associated
with consumer well-being?
The aim of this study was to gain a deeper under-
standing of the main concepts and their in-
terrelationships. Specifically, the study investigated
(a) the mindfulness concept, consumers' familiarity
with this concept and how they perceive it; (b) the
sustainable consumption concept, consumers' fa-
miliarity with it, their perceptions of sustainable
fashion apparel consumers and their attitudes to-
wards sustainable consumption; and (c) the con-
sumer well-being concept and consumers'
familiarity with this concept. To this end, the qual-
itative study examined the potential for developing
a link between consumer well-being, mindfulness
andsustainableconsumptionbygaininginsightinto
consumers’ understanding of the relationship be-
tween consumer mindfulness and sustainable con-
sumption, the relationship between consumer well-
being and mindfulness and the relationship be-
tweensustainableconsumptionandconsumerwell-
being in the context of fashion apparel.
2 Research methodology
2.1 Data collection
The study relied on in-depth interviews with in-
dividual consumers to reveal the mechanisms of
consumer mindfulness and to explore the impact of
264 ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277

sustainable consumption on well-being in the
context of fashion apparel consumption.Using such
qualitative instruments often provides additional
information which cannot be easily obtained by
usingaquantitativeresearchdesign.Participantsfor
the semi-structured, in-depth interviews were
identified within the researcher's personal, family
and professional networks using convenience sam-
pling. The interviews were conducted in a period of
several months, more precisely, between January
and August 2019. The in-depth interviews were
designed to enable participants to reflect on their
experiences and express their opinions. This data
collection technique was deemed appropriate,
because it allows two-way communication and of-
fers insight into participants' understandings and
perspectives. A few examples of open-ended ques-
tions used in in-depth interviews are presented in
the appendix (Appendix A).
Participantswereselectedtoensurediversitywith
respect to age, gender, income, education, employ-
ment status and occupation. Thus, a brief personal
profile of each individual was collected. Qualitative
research requires that decisions about selecting
appropriate participants be based on the research
questions, theoretical perspectives, and evidence
that informs the study. Those sampled must be able
to inform important perspectives related to the
concepts being studied (Sargeant, 2012). Therefore,
the requirement for an individual to be considered
as a participant for this study was that they were
predominantly buying their own fashion apparel
products. Additionally, the participants for this
study were selected to be as diverse as possible in
terms of their general consumption habits and their
consumption habits in relation to fashion clothing,
as well as their personal views regarding sustain-
ability and their level of mindfulness, in order to
best inform the research questions and provide
insight into the studied concepts. All interviews
were conducted by the researcher, and all partici-
pants were informed of the nature of the research
and that their participation was voluntary. In line
with the guidelines and requirements of the re-
searcher's university, all participants signed
informed consent documents permitting the
recording and transcription of their data solely for
the purpose of the research. Interviews were con-
ducted in the Slovenian language, since the study
aimed to examine the Slovenian market of fashion
apparel consumption and all participants and the
researcher are native speakers. The interviews were
recorded and the researcher transcribed the scripts.
2.2 Sample profile
Atasamplesizeof20participants,datasaturation
was reached, as there was no new information
extracted from participants. The sample included 8
men and 12 women aged 17e69 years and provided
a variety of demographic and lifestyle variables.
Participants varied in their level of education from
primary school to PhD, where only one participant
had primary school as their highest level of
completed education, and one participant had PhD
studies as their highest level of completed educa-
tion. Most participants were employed full time,
three were unemployed, one was employed part
timeandtwowerestudents.Thesampleincluded14
participants from the capital city of Slovenia,
Ljubljana, and 6 from other cities across Slovenia.
Monthly household income was spread out from
less than 1000 euros to 4000 euros, except for two
participants who indicated a household income
greater than 4001 euros per month. Regarding
occupation, most participants indicated that they
were professionals in the fields of science, engi-
neering, education, information technology or law,
whereas four participants were unemployed, one
was working in administration and one as a sales-
person. This diverse set of participants was chosen
to observe whether these demographic factors may
or may not be associated with participants’ opin-
ions, behaviours and attitudes towards sustainable
consumption of fashion apparel.
2.3 Data analysis
Owing to the complex and multifaceted nature of
theissuesunderinvestigation,theresearcheruseda
qualitative method for this study. During the first
stage of the research, interviews were conducted
using open-ended questions. The objective of these
interviews was to gain an in-depth view of the
themes that had arisen from the comprehensive
literature review regarding the three main concepts
of sustainable consumption, consumer mindfulness
and consumer well-being. All recordings of the in-
terviews were transcribed by the researcher and
analysed using qualitative content analysis, since it
offers a focused and systematic approach to coding
text-based data in response to the research ques-
tions and requires the researcher to focus on pre-
identified concepts.
The methodology for this study required several
steps as presented by Elo and Kyng€ as (2008). First,
during the preparation phase, the researcher
ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277 265

transcribed the interviews, gained a sense of the
whole through reading the transcripts several times
andfinallydevelopedthemeswithinductivecontent
analysis. Next, during the organizing phase, the
researcher started coding and creating subthemes,
grouping coded text under higher-order headings.
During the final stage of analysis, the researcher
presented a story line about the data in relation to
the research questions.
3 Results
3.1 Emerging themes
The research questions drove the study and yiel-
ded themes capturing something important about
the data in relation to the research questions. The
identified themes represented some level of
patterned response or meaning within the data set
(Braun & Clarke, 2006). The researcher identified
several themes across the data set, and the re-
searcher's judgement was necessary to determine
the themes (Braun& Clarke, 2006).
Theemergentthemesfromthecontentanalysisof
the in-depth interview data revealed various key
findings. Six main themes, with sub-themes, were
identified in relation to the research questions: (a)
mindfulness (mindful consumer behaviour); (b)
sustainable consumption (first thoughts about sus-
tainable consumption, characteristics of a sustain-
able fashion apparel consumer, positive and
negative consequences of sustainable consumption
of fashion apparel, participant's attitude towards
sustainable consumption and consequences of the
fast fashion industry); (c) consumer well-being (first
thoughts regarding consumer well-being); (d) rela-
tionship between mindfulness and sustainable
consumption; (e) relationship between consumer
well-being and mindfulness; and (f) relationship
between sustainable consumption and well-being.
3.2 Mindfulness
Mindful consumption can effectually be culti-
vated via mindfulness (Armstrong, 2012). The idea
of mindful consumption is to shift the consumer's
mind-set towards sustainability by recognizing the
implications and consequences of their consump-
tion, resulting in mindful behaviours (Sermboon-
sang et al., 2020). Thus, the researcher was
interested in participants' familiarity with the
mindfulnessconceptandhowtheyviewedmindful
consumption.
Some participants had never heard of mindful-
ness, a few had heard of it but were unsure of its
meaning and some were familiar with mindfulness
and had some idea of its meaning. Those who had
neverheardofmindfulnesswerepresentedwiththe
definition to continue the discussion, and all par-
ticipants continued to reflect on how they see
mindfulness. Frequently, participants described
mindfulness as being aware and attentive to the
things around you. One participant believed that
mindfulness is about relationships among people,
another simply described mindfulness as “here and
now” and a few indicated that mindfulness is about
being aware of your own thoughts (Table 1).
Participant S, male, age 69: “[Mindful] is someone
who is aware of the world around him. He is not in a
bubble; he is attentive.”
Participants described a mindful consumer as
someone who is attentive and precise and as
someonewhoiskindtonature,animalsandpeople.
Some participants also indicated that a mindful
consumer is frugal and contemplates and does
research before making a purchase.
Participant H, female, age 34: “[Mindful apparel
consumer] buys only products with a proven origin,
proven materials, made fair-trade and doesn't buy large
quantities, owns small quantities of things and uses them
for a long time. He/she takes good care of his/her clothes
so they last longer.”
Overall, participants viewed mindful consump-
tion as something positive for the individual con-
sumer, nature and society. Regarding the
consequences of mindfulness to an individual con-
sumer, participants expressed mostly positive con-
sequences, such as being happier, living a good life,
being free (because there are fewer clothes and
other stuff in one's living space), doing good for
yourself and others and having more money to
spend on other things (because you are not
spending it on clothes). One participant expressed
doubt about the positive consequences of mindful-
ness, because if a person is unaware and less
mindful,thepersonwillbeblissfullyignorantofthe
world around him or her and, consequently, more
content with his or her purchases.
Table 1. Participants’ perceptions of the concept of mindfulness.
Participants' perceptions of the
concept of mindfulness
Frequency
Being aware and attentive to the things around you 10
Being aware of your own thoughts 2
Relationship among people 1
Being “here and now” 1
Total (N¼ 20) 14
Note: The frequencies presented in the table do not necessarily
add to 20, as multiple themes surfaced in participants' responses
to this question.
266 ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277

Participant H, female, age 34: “If someone is less
mindful, he does not deal with any of these questions,
because he most likely does not care, and thus, he can be
a happier consumer. He or she is satisfied with the
products he or she uses and is not interested where these
products came from and where they are going. If you are
more mindful, then you have toe to some degreee deal
with these questions and sooner or later you come to the
point where you have internal battles with yourself (the
way I do): Will I buy this or not? I know this is bad;
someone did not get paid to sew this, but still, it is so
inexpensive … The more mindful you are, the more you
get moved by all of the things considering sustainable
consumption and at least you are trying not to buy.”
3.3 Sustainable consumption
One of the three main themes that emerged from
the interview data is sustainable consumption with
four sub-themes:first thoughts about the concept of
sustainable consumption, characteristics of a sus-
tainable consumer, consequences of sustainable
consumption and attitude towards sustainable
consumption.
Whenthediscussiononsustainableconsumption
began, many participants were already familiar
with this term, and many of them defined it as
consumption of things that will last a long time. A
few participants viewed sustainability more
comprehensively as including consumers, pro-
ducers, workers and nature. Some described sus-
tainable consumption primarily as recycled and
upcycledproductsandsomestatedthatsustainable
consumption is primarily about taking care of the
environment (Table 2).
Participant G, male, age 35: “The whole cycle, from
the manufacturingto consumption… you are not looking
only to buy apparel but also think about where the
apparelcame from, whereitwasmade,howitwasmade,
withwhatmaterials,whattheimpactontheenvironment
was. This to me is a concept of sustainability.”
On the topic of a sustainable fashion apparel
consumer, six characteristics emerged: this con-
sumerisconcernedaboutthenaturalenvironment,
frugal, thoughtful, not interested in fashion trends,
is concerned about other people and, lastly, has a
sense of style and fashion, as evinced, for instance,
by a high level of interest in fashion trends, which
contrasts the preceding characteristic of lacking
interest in fashion trends. Participants most
commonly described a sustainable consumer as
someone who is concerned about the natural
environment and is frugal.
Participant C, female, age 24: “This kind of con-
sumer is probably aware that for one piece of clothing
half of the Brazilian forest was cut down. He avoids
harmful things and tries to find an alternative solution
…“.
In the discussion about a sustainable consumer
being attentive to the natural environment, a sub-
theme emerged. Some participants pointed out that
a sustainable consumer recycles or upcycles and
tries to produce as little waste as possible.
Participant Q, female, age 38: “… not using too
much plastic. When going shopping, he brings his own
bag, and produces less waste.”
Further,participantsdiscussedwhattheoutcomes
of sustainable consumption at the individual level
are. Most participants stated that sustainable con-
sumption has a positive effect on consumers, but
some participants were also concerned about the
negative consequences. As stated previously, most
participants believed that sustainable consumption
has a positive effect on consumers, such as a per-
sonal sense of achievement, where the consumer is
content about helping the environment and society
by consuming sustainably. According to the partic-
ipants, a positive consequence of sustainable con-
sumption is spending less money on clothes and
other fashion apparel. In addition, participants
mentionedhavingmoretimeforotherthingsinlife,
since sustainable consumers buy high-quality
clothes that last for a long time and, thus, do not
need to constantly buy new clothes (i.e. spend time
shopping for new fashion apparel).
Participant J, male, age 69: “[The effect is] positive.
He[asustainableconsumer] believes that he is doing a
goodthing.Heispollutinglessandishappier,becausehe
knows he is helping. And if this does not affect his bank
account (at least not too much), that is great. Instead of
donating the money, he is doing something different and
he is satisfied.”
Some participants pointed out negative conse-
quencesofsustainableconsumptiononaconsumer,
such as spending more money on fashion apparel,
because sustainable fashion apparel is costlier than
Table 2. Participants’ understanding of the concept of sustainability in
general.
Participants' understanding of the concept of
sustainability in general
Frequency
Consumption of things that will last a
long time
7
Recycling and upcycling products 3
Including consumers, producers, workers
and nature
3
Taking care of the environment 2
Total (N¼ 20) 15
Note: The frequencies presented in the table do not necessarily
add to 20, as multiple themes surfaced in participants' responses
to this question.
ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277 267

traditional and fast fashion apparel. In addition,
respondents raised concern about a sustainable
consumerbeingjudgedbyotherpeople,becausehe
or she frequently wears the same clothes and does
not dress according to the latest fashion trends.
Participant K, male, age 27: “I don't think it is good
for the financial situation of the individual. I guess sus-
tainable consumption is more expensive.”
3.3.1 Fast fashion and fashion industry consequences
Since the issue of sustainability is crucial in the
fast fashion industry and is one of the key compo-
nents of the debate about sustainable consumption,
the researcher encouraged participants to think
about and give their opinions on the concept of fast
fashion and how fast fashion impacts the natural
environment and the workers employed by fast
fashion companies.
Participants frequently mentioned the poor qual-
ity of the apparel items that fast fashion companies
make. Some participants also expressed somewhat
negative opinions but stated that they still some-
times buy clothes from fast fashion companies.
These negative opinions included concern that fast
fashion devaluates clothes, the clothes are far too
cheap, the trends change far too often, the clothes
are poorly designed (e.g. without considering
different body types) and that they feel guilty when
buyingitemsfromfastfashionstores,becauseofthe
rumours of worker exploitation. Some participants
had nothing against fast fashion, some stated that
they never buy from fast fashion stores and one
participant expressed strong opposition to the fast
fashionindustryandwhatitstandsforbutadmitted
that he still makes an occasional purchase from the
H&M store (especially for underwear). One partic-
ipant expressed a somewhat positive opinion about
fastfashion,statingthatsometimeshelikesgoingto
H&M, because it is simple, the clothes are already
styledtogetherandtheclothesarecheap,ashedoes
not want to spend a lot of money on clothes.
Participant G, male, age 35: “Everything is so cheap,
but it still works out for them [fastfashioncompanies],
because of the quantity they sell. I believe this is totally
faulty logic. The concept of frequently buying something
new and throwing away the old onee the reason being
poor quality (and not being able to give to charity,
because the quality is so low)e I am very against this
concept. … The fast fashion manufacturer is doing the
wrong thing, encouraging the wrong thing, and I believe
thisis notthe right way,not evenforthe manufacturerin
the long run.”
Participants were also invited to contemplate how
the fast fashion industry impacts the natural envi-
ronment and the workers employed by fast fashion
companies. Participants mostly agreed that fast
fashion has a negative effect on the natural envi-
ronment in general. Further,participants frequently
mentioned that the biggest problem is large
amounts of waste (mainly because a lot of the
clothes get thrown away). Some participants also
mentioned the negative effects that manufacturing
has on the environment, such as chemicals, water
consumption and other waste that is produced
during the manufacturing of fast fashion apparel
products. Further, participants were asked to
considertheinfluencefastfashionhasonthepeople
working in manufacturing. Participants generally
agreed that there is some sort of exploitation of
workers or that the workers are not working in the
best conditions.
3.4 Consumer well-being
Participants also talked about the concept of
consumer well-being and their first thoughts
regarding consumer well-being and happiness.
When asked about their first thoughts on the
concept of consumer well-being, most participants
mentioned that consumer well-being is happiness
when buying an apparel item, and several stated that
consumer well-being is happiness when wearing
apparel. Some participants considered consumer
well-being to be happiness throughout the whole
customer experience (Table 3). One participant
interpreted consumer happiness as feeling happy
before or after making a purchase. The terms partic-
ipants used to describe consumer happiness or well-
being were happiness, satisfaction and feeling good.
3.5 Relationship between concepts of well-being,
mindfulness and sustainable consumption
Most participants believed that mindfulness has
aneffectonsustainableconsumption,thatamindful
Table 3. First thoughts on the concept of consumer well-being or
happiness.
First thoughts on the concept of consumer
well-being or happiness
Frequency
Feeling happy when buying an apparel item 10
Feeling happy when wearing an apparel item 4
Feeling happy throughout the whole customer
experience
3
Feeling happy before a purchase 1
Feeling happy after a purchase 1
Total (N¼ 20) 19
Note: The frequencies presented in the table do not necessarily
add to 20, as multiple themes surfaced in participants' responses
to this question.
268 ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277

consumerislikelytobeasustainableconsumerand
that a sustainable consumer needs to be mindful. A
fewparticipantscouldnotthinkofhowtheconcepts
of mindfulness and sustainable consumption are
connected and whether one has an effect on the
other. One participant stated that mindfulness does
not necessarily lead to sustainable consumption
(Table 4). Following the respondents’ answers, the
researcher establishes the first research proposition
thatstatesthatconsumermindfulnessisreflectedin
sustainable consumption behaviour. P1: The con-
cepts of mindfulness and sustainable consumption
are related.
Participant I, male, age 36: “There is a much greater
chancethatsomeonewhoismindfulwilldecidetoconsume
sustainably,becauseheisawareofthesurroundings;heis
aware that he can make a minimal difference.”
Whendiscussing theconceptsofmindfulnessand
well-being (or happiness), the majority of partici-
pants stated that mindful consumers are happy,
happierthanregularconsumersorthatmindfulness
is good for the consumer on a personal level. Most
commonly, they stated that this is because mindful
consumers are aware of the moment, nature and
themselves, and because they are positively influ-
encing the world. Some participants also pointed
out that mindfulness can have a negative effect on
well-being (that a mindful consumer is generally
unhappy or less happy/more unhappy than a reg-
ular consumer) and contemplated that this may be
duetoawarenessofhowtheapparelindustryworks
and of how one's actions affect others. One partici-
pant did not see any connection between these two
concepts and one participant mentioned that well-
being has an effect on mindfulness, such as the
likelihood that a happy consumer will be more
mindful(Table5).Consideringtheabovementioned
answers, the researcher proposes that consumer's
mindfulness is reflected in their well-being. P2: The
concepts of mindfulness and consumer happiness
or well-being are related.
Participant P, female, age 56: “Someone who is
mindful will have higher levels of well-being.”
Most participants contemplated thepositiveeffect
ofsustainableconsumptiononwell-being,suchthat
consumers are happierbecause they are consuming
sustainably. Two participants saw no connection
between these two concepts. When asked if happi-
ness has an effect on sustainable consumption,
someparticipantswerecertainthatthereisnoeffect
and some participants commented that well-being
has an effect on sustainable consumption, stating
that a happier consumer will likely act as a
sustainable consumer. The connection between
sustainable consumption and well-being is sum-
marized in Table 6. In line with the participants’
Table4.Connectionbetweenmindfulnessandsustainableconsumption.
Connection between mindfulness and
sustainable consumption
Frequency
A mindful consumer is likely to be a
sustainable consumer
12
A sustainable consumer needs to
be mindful
5
A mindful consumer will not necessarily
be a sustainable consumer
1
Don't know 3
Total (N¼ 20) 22
Note: The frequencies presented in the table do not necessarily
add to 20, as multiple themes surfaced in participants' responses
to this question.
Table 5. Connection between the concepts of mindfulness and well-
being.
Connection between
mindfulness
and well-being
Frequency
Positive connection Mindful consumers are
happy
6
Mindful consumers are
happier than regular
consumers
4
Mindfulness is good for
the consumer
1
Negative connection Mindful consumers are
unhappy
2
Mindful consumers are
more unhappy than
regular consumers
2
Other No connection between
mindfulness and
well-being
1
Happy consumers will be
more mindful
1
Total (N¼ 20) 17
Note: The frequencies presented in the table do not necessarily
add to 20, as multiple themes surfaced in participants' responses
to this question.
Table 6. Connection between sustainable consumption and well-being.
Connection between sustainable
consumption and well-being
Frequency
Consumers are happier because they
are sustainable consumers
16
Happier consumers will likely act as
sustainable consumers
4
No connection between sustainable
consumption and well-being
2
Sustainable consumers are often less
happy with purchases
1
Total (N¼ 20) 23
Note: The frequencies presented in the table do not necessarily
add to 20, as multiple themes surfaced in participants' responses
to this question.
ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277 269

answers, the researcher proposes that sustainable
consumption is related to consumer well-being. P3:
The concepts of mindfulness and sustainable con-
sumption are related.
Participant H, female, age 34: “I believe this person
[sustainable consumer] is truly pleased. This person is
content with herself, because she does not pollute the
environmentasmuch,produceslesstrash,lessworkersin
Asia need to work hard because of her. I personally am
very pleased when I hold back and don't buy, when I
want to buy something and I say to myself ‘no, I do not
need this’. I feel very good after that.”
Considering participants’ answers regarding
relationship between concepts of well-being,
mindfulness and sustainable consumption, the
study proposes a comprehensive yet relatively
parsimonious framework of the relationship be-
tween mindfulness, sustainable consumption, and
consumer well-being. The results of this study
indicate mostly positive relationships among these
three concepts with the exception of the possibility
that sustainable consumption and mindfulness may
have a negative influence on consumer well-being.
The relationships are depicted in Fig. 1.
4 Discussion
This qualitative study helped the researcher un-
derstand the concepts of mindful consumption,
consumer well-being and sustainable consumption
and their interaction, as well as gain more knowl-
edge of these concepts in the context of fashion
apparel consumption. Findings of this study are in
line with previous research regarding the associa-
tion between concepts of mindfulness, well-being
and sustainable consumption (Fredrickson, 2011;
Holland et al., 2006; Ivtzan et al., 2011; Iwata, 2001;
Langer, 2005; Layous et al., 2014; Thompson &
Coskuner-Balli, 2007). The findings about the re-
lationships among the three constructs add to the
currentbodyofknowledgebyillustratingthebridge
between mindfulness theory and positive psychol-
ogy theory in that they demonstrate a clear positive
as well as some negative relationship between
consumer's mindfulness and their well-being.
Further, the conceptual model illustrates a connec-
tion between sustainable consumption and con-
sumer well-being.
In line with Langer's (1992) description of mind-
fulness,participantsdescribedmindfulnessasbeing
awareandattentivetothethingsaroundthem.They
further described a mindful consumer as someone
who is kind to nature, animals and people, which
supports Rosenberg's (2004) indication that with
moremindfulnessmightcomemoreattentiontothe
negative effects of consumerism. Moreover, some
participants envisaged a mindful consumer as
someone who is being mindful of the price and
being frugal, which is in line with the Oslo Sym-
posium (Norwegian Ministry of the Environment,
1994)de finition of a sustainable consumer, with the
findings of recent study by Milne et al. (2020) and
otherdefinitionsemphasizinganabsolutereduction
in consumption (Mont & Plepys, 2008) and sup-
porting the notion of consuming less as the main
issue in sustainable consumption (Balderjahn et al.,
2013; Jackson & Michaelis, 2003). In turn, this in-
dicates the connection and overlap between the
concepts of mindfulness and sustainable consump-
tion. Practicing the above mentioned behaviours
Fig. 1. Model representing connection between sustainable consumption, consumer well-being and mindfulness.
270 ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277

could fill the gap between attitude and behaviour
that has been identified as an obstacle in some un-
sustainable consumption contexts. The gap may be
narrowed by enforcing behaviours, such as aware-
ness, frugality, kindness, reduction in consumption
with extensive awareness raising campaigns. Over-
all, participants viewed mindful consumption as
something positive, and regarding the conse-
quences of mindfulness for individual consumers,
they mostly highlighted positive consequences,
such as being happier and living a good life. This is
inlinewiththenotionthatmindfulnessispositively
associated with consumer happiness or well-being
(Bahl et al., 2016; Brown & Kasser, 2005; Friese &
Hofmann, 2016).
Thisqualitativeresearchsuggeststhatconsumers
view sustainable consumption as the consumption
of things that will last for a long time, recycled and
upcycled products and taking care of the environ-
ment, which is in line with the Oslo Symposium
(Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, 1994)
definition of sustainable consumption and bolsters
other research that describes recycling, waste and
resource minimization as actions that nurture sus-
tainable consumption (Bentley, 2008). Further,
participants described a sustainable fashion
apparel consumer as someone who is concerned
about the natural environment, is frugal, thought-
ful, not interested in fashion trends and is con-
cerned about other people, which also aligns with
the aforementioned definition of sustainable con-
sumption and other research referring to sustain-
able consumption as a type of consumption that
frequently includes environmental, economic and
socialdimensions(Balderjahnetal.,2013;Huang&
Rust, 2011; Lim, 2017).
From this study, it is evident that consumers
associate the global fast fashion industry with
environmental pollution and social problems, such
as abused workers and low pay. The researcher
observes that consumers believe fast fashion has a
negative effect on the natural environment, such as
large amounts of waste (mainly because a lot of the
clothes are thrown away), and are aware of the
negative effects that manufacturing has on the
environment, such as chemicals and water con-
sumption. Finally, this study shows that consumers
believe there is some sort of exploitation of workers
or that the workers are not working in the best
conditions. These findings support the notion that
fashion is among the world's most polluting in-
dustries (Brewer, 2019) and is associated with
numerous social problems, such as prohibition of
workers joining or forming trade unions, abuse,
child labour, forced labour, low pay and dangerous
working conditions, among others (Niebank, 2018;
Walk Free Foundation, 2018).
This research shows that consumers view con-
sumer well-being as happiness when buying or
wearing an apparel item, and some consider con-
sumer well-being to be happiness throughout the
wholecustomerexperience.Indescribingconsumer
happiness or well-being, participants used the
words happiness, satisfaction and feeling good.
These findings support that the terms “happiness”
and “well-being” are synonymous.
Fromthisstudy,itisalsoapparentthatconsumers
believe mindfulness has an effect on sustainable
consumption. For instance, a mindful consumer is
likely to be a sustainable consumer, and a sustain-
able consumer must be mindful. This supports the
underlying premise of this researche namely, that
an increased level of mindfulness is positively asso-
ciated with an individual's sustainable consumption
behaviours. This premise is supported by Helm and
Subramaniam's(2016)findings regarding the posi-
tive effect of mindfulness on sustainable consump-
tion. Participants in the present study also indicated
that mindful consumers are happy, happier than
regular consumers or that mindfulness is good for
the consumer on a personal level, thus supporting
previous research demonstrating the positive effect
of mindfulness on individual well-being (Bahl et al.,
2016; Brown & Kasser, 2005; Brown & Ryan, 2003;
Carmody & Baer, 2008; Friese & Hofmann, 2016;
Wilber, 2000). Further, participants expressed the
belief that sustainable consumption has a positive
effect on well-being in that consumers are happier
because they are consuming sustainably, which
supports the assumption that sustainable consump-
tion behaviours are positively associated with con-
sumer well-being. Contrary to the views of most
participants, some did not see any connection be-
tweenthethreeconceptsunderstudyandsomeeven
statedthatmindfulnesscanhaveanegativeeffecton
well-being, which could be an avenue for future in-
vestigations into the topic of a negative relationship
between mindfulness and well-being.
This study has also yielded some unexpected
findings. One of these is that two opposite charac-
teristics of a sustainable fashion apparel consumer
emergedenamely,thatsustainablefashionapparel
consumers have no interest in fashion trends and
that these consumers have a sense of style, are
fashionforwardandarehighlyinterestedinfashion
trends. Based on the conversations with partici-
pants, the most likely explanation for the noted
contrasting characteristics of sustainable fashion
apparel consumers is that participants understand
fashion trends differently. Some understand green
ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277 271

and sustainable fashion as a fashion trend that has
beenadoptedbymanyfashionapparelbrands,from
fast-fashionbrandstoluxurybrands, that afashion-
conscious consumer is likely to buy. Others under-
stand fashion trends more broadly to include all
fashion trends in a season, such as the summer/
spring 2021 fashion trends that include black and
white, maxi dress, bralette, stripes and oversized
trousers (Holzman, 2021; Pitcher, 2021; Sutton,
2021), which a sustainable consumer is unlikely to
follow. Further, in discussing the connection be-
tween the concepts of mindfulness and well-being,
some participants underlined that mindfulness
couldhaveanegative effect onwell-being.Thiswas
unexpected, because the researcher had not found
this concept when reviewing the literature. Lastly,
mostparticipantscontemplatedthepositiveeffectof
sustainable consumption on well-being, in line with
the literature review, but surprisingly, the results
show that consumer happiness may also have an
effect on sustainable consumption. That is, a
happier consumer will likely behave as a sustain-
able consumer.
4.1 Managerial implications
Increasing awareness can help reduce an in-
dividual's susceptibility to the manipulations pre-
sent in consumer culture. Therefore, it would be of
great interest to marketing practitioners to under-
standhowmoremindfulconsumerswouldperceive
and respond to a more sustainable fashion apparel
industry. The issue of sustainability is crucial in the
fashion business and has received considerable
attentionfromconsumers(Shenetal.,2014).Thus,a
policy promoting mindful consumption would, as
indicated by this study, have a positive effect on
consumer happiness and well-being, which could,
in turn, increase consumer loyalty and satisfaction.
Such marketing activities might be a worthwhile
endeavour for businesses; they are welcome and
sometimes even necessary, because consumers,
governments and environmental groups are
increasing pressure on modern businesses to adopt
measures for reducing the damage they inflict on
the environment (Pervez, 2020).
Research regarding consumer mindfulness can
enhance individuals' interest in the planet, which
may, in turn, contribute to increasing sustainability
without much need for expensive policy in-
terventions (Bahl et al., 2016). This study has also
shown a strong link between mindfulness and sus-
tainable consumption. Therefore, researcher sug-
gests that policy makers create a campaign to
educate consumers about the consequences that
everyapparelpurchaseandconsumptionhasonthe
environment and people. Knowledgeable con-
sumers may in turn be more mindful of their ac-
tions, which can lead to a more sustainable way of
consuming fashion apparel products. Specific
mindfulness skills can be practiced and developed
through targeted meditation techniques (MacDon-
ald, 2021), mindfulness training and exercises that
can be accessed via website or a mobile app (Bon-
ney, 2020), short mindfulness interventions in
corporate settings and in the classroom to enforce
ethical behaviours and help individuals to turn in-
wardtoincreasesustainableawareness(Orazietal.,
2021;Wamsler,2018)andnatureinteractiontobring
the attention to present moment experiences to
enhance mindfulness (Sahni & Kumar, 2021).
Furthermore, the harmful consequences stemming
from fashion products have evoked concern among
some people in the fashion world. As such, busi-
nesses must consider how to design and develop
fashion apparel products that will have minimal
potential adverse effects on people, other living
creaturesandtheplanetduringtheirentirelifecycle
(Moon et al., 2015). One such example is sports
apparel company Patagonia, which is actively
participating in activism and is even said to be
“shifting away from pure advertising towards
activism promotion” (Jerry, 2021), receiving awards
and a lot of exposure and publicity by doing so (UN
Environment Programme, 2019). This sports
clothing brand is not using ecological or natural fi-
bres to create their products, but is giving back to
the planet by enabling and encouraging customers
to buy second-hand Patagonia products instead of
new, by giving back in form of self-imposed Earth
tax that donates the company's 1% annual sales to
support the “environmental non-profits working to
defend our air, land and water around the globe”
(Environmental ActivismePatagonia, 2021)andby
hosting a website to connect individuals to envi-
ronmental groups.
4.2 Limitations
This study offers several novel insights, yet all
studies have limitations that serve as opportunities
for future enquiry. One of the main limitations of
qualitativeapproaches,accordingtoOchieng(2009),
is that the findings cannot be generalized to wider
populations, because they are not tested to deter-
minewhethertheyarestatisticallysignificantordue
to chance, which is also a realistic concern for the
present study, since the researcher's own unique
observations could have altered the information in
subtle ways.Twoadditional limitationsofthisstudy
272 ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277

are related to the sample. First, the sample was
collected by the researcher and framed according to
the study. Consequently, the participants were
friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances or in-
dividuals who are otherwise connected somehow to
the researcher. Second, the limited number of par-
ticipants are not representative of all Slovenian
consumersoffashionapparel;rather,theresearcher
conductedanin-depthanalysisofthestoriestoldby
a relatively small number of consumers who dis-
cussed their habits regarding the consumption of
fashion apparel and provided their opinions about
the sustainable consumption of fashion apparel and
their reflections on the relationship between mind-
fulness, sustainable consumption and consumer
well-beinginrelation tothe consumptionof fashion
apparel.
This qualitative research clearly shows that
further research efforts are needed to establish
clearerrelationshipsbetweenthemainconstructsof
mindfulness, consumer well-being and sustainable
consumption. The researcher proposes a need for
comprehensive quantitative research to further
establish the relationship between mindfulness and
sustainable consumption and the relationship be-
tweensustainableconsumptionandconsumerwell-
being. Results of this study also indicate the
connection and overlap between the concepts of
mindfulness and well-being, and this could be
further studied in comprehensive qualitative and
quantitative research.
5 Conclusion
As the concept of mindfulness has gained mo-
mentum in consumer behaviour research, it has
been reported that mindfulness positively affects
sustainable consumption behaviours (e.g. Amel
et al., 2009; Barber& Deale, 2014; Brown& Kasser,
2005; Ross, 2015). However, there has been no
researchilluminatingthisrelationshipinthecontext
offashionapparelanditsimpactonconsumerwell-
being. To this end, the present study adds to the
body of research on mindfulness and sustainable
consumption behaviours by showing a positive
relationship between mindfulness and sustainable
fashion apparel consumption. This research offers
promising insight into the convergence between
three disciplines: positive psychology, ecology and
consumer research. Additionally,findings about the
strongrelationshipsamongthethreeconstructsadd
to the current body of knowledge, further illumi-
nating the relationship between mindfulness and
consumer well-being by illustrating the bridge be-
tween mindfulness theory and positive psychology.
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276 ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS REVIEW 2022;24:260e277

Appendix A
A few examples of open-ended questions
regarding participant's apparel buying habits:
Which factors are the most important when it
comes to buying every day apparel items? What do
you value the most? (If participant is having trouble
answering the question, use some examples such as:
fashion, materials, price, brand, style, likability, recycled
material, ECO production, …)
What do you do with an apparel item that is worn
out? (If participant is having trouble answering the
question, use some examples such as: donate it to the
charity, throw it in the bin, …)
A few examples of open-ended questions
regardingsustainableconsumptionofapparelitems:
How would you describe a sustainable consumer?
(Encourage discussion if necessary: What does he/she do?
What does he/she buy?)
In your opinion, what are the consequences of
sustainable consumption for the individual con-
sumer?Howdoessustainableconsumptionaffectan
individual (Try to find out if sustainable consumption
has a positive or negative effect (or non) on the in-
dividual's happiness.)
A few examples of open-ended questions
regarding consumer well-being and well-being of
participants in general:
What do you understand under the concept of
consumer well-being or consumer happiness?
What connection do you see between sustainable
consumption and consumer well-being?
If the consumer is sustainable, does this mean he/
she is happier? Is a happy consumer more
sustainable(Participantshouldalsogivemeanexample.
Trytolearnifsustainable consumptioneffectsconsumer's
happiness (or not at all) or if it is the other way around?)
If you think about consumption of your apparel
items, can you give me an example where you are
satisfied or happy with your apparel items? (If
necessary, use examples: looks, comfort, quality, the way
it makes you feel …) What about an example where
you are annoyed or not feeling well about your
apparel items?
A few examples of open-ended questions
regarding mindfulness in general, consumer mind-
fulness and mindfulness of participants:
Whatdoesitmeanthatsomeoneismindfulwhenit
comes to his/her consumption of apparel items?
What does he/she do exactly? What would you say
differentiates mindful consumption of clothes from
“normal or typical” clothes consumption?
What are in your opinion consequences of mind-
fulness for an individual consumer?
How would you describe the connection between
sustainable consumption and mindful consumer?
How does one affect another?
How would you describe the connection between
consumer well-being and mindful consumer? How
does one affect another?
How do you see yourself e are you a mindful
consumer? A mindful apparel consumer? How does
this show in everyday life and how does this show
when it comes to apparel consumption?
Do you often buy clothes or shoes spontaneously?
Without previously thinking about it? Or do you
plan your shopping in detail ahead of time?
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