Even as more and more brands say they are all-in on sustainability efforts, Gen Z customers believe they can do a better job – a much better job – getting with the program.
Generation Z, rapidly emerging as a prime purchasing demographic, is disappointed in how brands are pursuing their initiatives toward sustainability. And it’s not just Gen Z: their older brothers and sisters – millennials – feel much the same.
New research from YPulse’s Cause Conundrum shows these younger consumers struggling with how to support sustainable purchasing decisions. “On one hand, they care deeply about the environment and want to make a difference,” YPulse’s chief content officer, wrote in the report. “But on the other, the clothes and styles they can afford are most likely those fast fashion retailers that are most harmful to the environment.”
About three-quarters of the young consumers in the survey agreed with the statement, “I don’t make enough money to always shop my values.” Even as they say “shopping fast fashion is bad for the environment,” the majority said that’s where they shop.
If they are not able to make the right eco-friendly buying decisions, the survey shows these younger shoppers put the blame back on big companies. “Corporations (companies and brands) should take more responsibility for fighting climate change.”
It may be why we’re seeing a rise in the second-hand clothing and home products businesses, as well as increased information on hang tags and QR codes from brands looking to tell their environmental stories. More than three-quarters of young consumers say they are serious about making a change: “It’s up to my generation to stop climate change from getting worse.”