[in Japanese]

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As plastic bottle waste is a serious environmental issue, both high- and low-end luxury apparel companies have attempted to develop sustainable plastic apparel (SPA) through post-consumer bottle recycling. However, the literature reports a contradiction between luxury and sustainability as high-end luxury brands evoke conspicuous extravagant consumption. If consumers perceive a mismatch between SPA and high-end luxury and decrease their brand evaluation, the managerial effort of high-end luxury companies to develop SPA may harm their brand equity despite their environmental contribution. Therefore, to promote corporate sustainability initiatives substantially in the apparel sector, sociopsychological approaches, as well as engineering discussions, are desired. Accordingly, this article reviews previous studies and discusses the relationships between SPA development, consumers’ brand evaluation, and brand luxury. The review results suggest that managers consider not only brand luxury, but also the brand’s personality when developing an SPA strategy. Additionally, the results imply that a sustainable lifestyle is close to modern consumers’ ideal self-concept, which is relevant to status consumption. Considering these factors is expected to help managers develop SPA strategies and increase both brand equity and plastic bottle recycling, leading to the enhancement of the circular economy.

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