How Socio-Demographic Traits and Moderating Variables Shape Waste Clothing Recycling in China

Juanjuan Cao, Zitang Xiao, Rongxue Zhang, Weifan Zhang () and Chris Chatwin ()
Additional contact information
Juanjuan Cao: Business School, Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai 201306, China
Zitang Xiao: Business School, Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai 201306, China
Rongxue Zhang: Business School, Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai 201306, China
Weifan Zhang: Business School, Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai 201306, China
Chris Chatwin: School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-25

Abstract: As living standards rise, the proliferation of discarded apparel contributes significantly to environmental pollution through traditional disposal methods, underscoring the importance of sustainable recycling practices in promoting a green lifestyle. This research examines factors influencing waste clothing recycling among Chinese residents, based on 1220 survey responses. It employs the entropy weight method to quantify dependent and moderating variables, followed by ordinary least squares regression analysis. The results indicate that (1) socio-demographic characteristics (notably gender, with females demonstrating higher recycling rates) and clothing disposal behaviors (including recycling knowledge, frequency of new clothing acquisition, usage duration, and disposal practices) markedly impact recycling activity, whereas age, geographic region, and income levels exhibit no significant effects. (2) Objective environmental conditions (such as recycling infrastructure and policy incentives) and recycling mode (formal outlets and donation platforms) positively moderate the relationship between key factors and recycling volume. These findings suggest that enhancing waste apparel recycling necessitates comprehensive strategies encompassing knowledge dissemination, environmental optimization, and diversification of recycling modalities—providing valuable insights for advancing circular economy initiatives and sustainable waste management within the apparel industry.

Keywords: waste clothing recycling; green development; low-carbon economy; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/22/9964/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/22/9964/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:22:p:9964-:d:1790006

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().