13-28 year olds are concerned about climate change and more aware of sustainability. At the same time, this generation represents the age group that is most defined by its consumption of goods that are meant to be global, cheap and constantly new.
To understand this paradox between the beliefs and actions of Gen Z, youth culture medium Views Research, founded in 2016, conducted a study entitled “Connect the worlds — Fashion & Sustainability for the new generations” about their habits and the factors that drive them generation to consider when buying clothes.
Of the 12,193 participants in the survey, 98 percent stated that they were concerned about the ecological situation. With the study, Views Research looked for the reasons for the prevailing lack of commitment to protecting the environment and also provided possible solutions.
An awareness, but no concrete commitment
The questionnaire identified five main problems:
1. Sustainability without radical change:According to Views Research, it is important to introduce a moderate everyday ecology and to offer new, democratic models – away from the current public presentation of environmental and climate protection, which is seen as too radical and wants to get consumers to change their lifestyle completely . A radical change that few people are willing to make.
Young people would be willing to invest in more progressive sustainability development that allows them to keep their comfort while adopting a more respectful approach.
2. Sustainability as an opportunity for the general public: While sustainability is seen as a burden by many young people, it is important for brands to offer them realistic solutions and accompany them in a process of behavioral adaptation and reinvention. 80 percent of those surveyed stated that they already pay attention to their daily consumption for environmental reasons.
3. Break out of the ever-evolving trends: This recommendation, which applies above all to brands, is to slow down the pace of collections and trends that force people to engage in a consumer race. “Consumers cannot keep up. You see a piece of clothing, buy it and when it arrives, you’ve already moved on. That’s because nowadays buying matters almost more than what you buy, which is completely changing the hype curve,” according to Views Research.
4. Increased transparency for more eco-credibility: Another recommendation for brands is to focus on the manufacturing process of the clothing. 85 percent of respondents are willing to follow a brand they know is eco-friendly, but few brands are completely transparent with people on this point. “Nobody knows how a t-shirt is made. Neither the consumers nor the brands themselves. Not sharing the information about the production protects a flawed value chain, misleads the consumers and distrusts them. Because transparency means building an equal relationship with consumers. 77 percent of respondents said they were willing to pay more for a product they were confident was environmentally friendly. Those surveyed would then even pay 24.4 percent more for an environmentally friendly product.
5. Make greenwashing counterproductive: Views Research recommends combating greenwashing and calls on brands to really get involved: “The greenwashing strategy is still interesting and profitable for companies. It has been proven that they do. They are willing to risk their ecological credibility to improve their brand image because they are used to the fact that their only goal is never-ending growth.
What can you do?
According to Views Research, change begins with your own awareness. “The connection of worlds means that two realities that are separate in our minds today coexist. It means changing our worldview by updating ideas, practices and know-how that already exist but are no longer respected”. To achieve this, the study recommends that young people give more consideration to repair options. Consumers and brands need to find a compromise on price. For consumers, this means they must be willing to pay more to support good initiatives, while brands must factor the cost of healthy production into final prices.
This article was similarly published on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ