Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Promoting Textile Recycling Through Persuasive Appeals: Insights from Cosmopolitanism, Ethnocentrism, and Moral Foundations Theory

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Abstract

This study investigates how cosmopolitanism and ethnocentrism shape consumers’ intentions to engage in textile recycling and how moral framing moderates these effects. An online experiment was conducted with 389 U.S. consumers who were exposed to either an individualizing moral appeal, a binding moral appeal, or no appeal. Results show that cosmopolitanism positively predicts textile recycling intentions, whereas ethnocentrism does not exhibit a direct positive effect. Moral framing significantly moderates these relationships. Specifically, cosmopolitan consumers respond more favorably to individualizing appeals, while ethnocentric consumers respond more favorably to binding appeals.These findings offer practical guidance for tailoring recycling campaigns to distinct consumer segments.

Keywords: textile recycling, cosmopolitanism, ethnocentrism, moral foundations

How to Cite:

Hyun, J. & Jestratijevic, I. M., (2025) “Promoting Textile Recycling Through Persuasive Appeals: Insights from Cosmopolitanism, Ethnocentrism, and Moral Foundations Theory”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.21379