The influence of cultural differences on consumers’ willingness to pay more for sustainable fashion

Sustainable fashion is imperative to address environmental and social issues associated with the fashion industry. Although it is argued that consumers’ willingness to pay more (WTPM) for sustainable products, compared to the price of conventional products, can function as a catalyst to motivate companies to pursue sustainability principles. Yet whether consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable fashion remains a relatively unexplored topic. In this regard, we aimed to assess the role of culture using a diverse sample and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). To do so, we compared Italy, an established fashion market, and Russia, an evolving fashion market. Our PLS-SEM analysis revealed that for Italian consumers, the main cultural dimension driving sustainable fashion purchasing is collectivism, while for Russian consumers, the cultural dimension driving sustainable fashion purchasing is long-term orientation. Furthermore, power distance belief, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance negatively influence Italian consumers’ WTPM, but these cultural dimensions do not influence Russian consumers’ WTPM. This study contributes to the literature on sustainable consumer behavior and cross-cultural psychology by demonstrating the application of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory at the individual level. Additionally, it provides insights into how managers may customize communication strategies for setting value-based pricing to increase consumers’ willingness to pay for sustainable fashion.