BUYING HABITS

Gen Z shoppers say they want sustainable clothing – but don’t but it

By our News Team | 2022

Researchers studying fashion buying habits in the UK find a ‘clear gap’ between consumers’ ideals and what they do in practice.

It’s something that marketers and market researchers have always known – or at least suspected. What consumers do in real life doesn’t necessarily correspond with what they say they will do in questionnaires. 

Recent evidence of this comes from an article published by the British Academy of Management, which notes that Generation Z shoppers say they want their clothes to be sustainable, but still regularly buy fast fashion. This demonstrates a “clear gap” between ideals and practice.

Buying Habits

Photo by Godisable Jacob from Pexels

Nine in 10 Gen Zed shoppers who were surveyed for a research project bought fast fashion and only one in six could name a brand that made sustainable clothing, the academy’s annual conference at the Alliance Manchester Business School heard.

Women were more likely than men to advocate for sustainable clothing, but less likely than them to actually buy it, the survey found.

Four researchers from the Sheffield Business School, at Sheffield Hallam University, surveyed 56 university students aged 18–24 and four aged over 24. They also interviewed six students in-depth about sustainable clothing, which are items produced without exploiting workers or animals and using lower carbon emissions. 

Most were concerned about the implications

The researchers found that 63% agreed they were concerned about the social implications of the fast-fashion industry and 48% said they were concerned about its environmental implications. Only 3% of participants stated that they were not concerned at all – about either its social or environmental implications.

However, 17% of participants admitted shopping at a fast-fashion retailer each week, 62% monthly and 11% yearly. Indeed, only 10% claimed that they had never purchased from a fast-fashion retailer. Less than half of those surveyed (43%) stated that they considered where and how their clothes were made before they bought them.

Five out of the six who were interviewed could not name any brands that produced sustainable clothes. All six said that price was the main barrier to purchasing sustainable fashion.

Dr Marc Duffy from the university told the conference: “Generation Z are increasingly concerned for the planet, with 94% believing that action is needed relative to sustainability, and that we need to come together to solve important issues. All participants had a negative attitude towards the term ‘fast fashion,’ [instead] mentioning words such as ‘unsustainable’, ‘unethical’ and ‘bad quality’.

“But the large proportion who admitted buying fast fashion demonstrates a clear gap between pro-sustainability ideologies and observed behaviour.”

The researchers identified six key barriers to sustainable clothes shopping: price, lack of knowledge, lack of choice, lack of aesthetic choice, scepticism over business transparency, and social desirability.

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    Dr Kin Kariisa

    Group CEO - Next Media

    Dr. Kin Kariisa is an extraordinary force at the helm of Next Media Services, a conglomerate encompassing NBS TV, Nile Post, Sanyuka TV, Next Radio, Salam TV, Next Communication, Next Productions, and an array of other influential enterprises. His dynamic role as Chief Executive Officer exemplifies his unwavering commitment to shaping media, business, and community landscapes.
    With an esteemed academic journey, Dr. Kariisa’s accolades include an Honorary PhD in exemplary community service from the United Graduate College inTexas, an MBA from United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Huazong University in China, and a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics from Makerere University.
    Dr. Kariisa pursued PhD research in Computer Security and Identity Management at Security of Systems Group, Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. As a dynamic educator, he has shared his expertise as a lecturer of e-Government and Information Security at both Makerere University and Radboud University.

    Dr Kin did his PhD research in Computer Security and Identity Management at Security of Systems Group, Radbond University in Nigmegen, Netherlands. He previously served as a lecturer of e-Government and Information Security at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda and Radbond University in Netherlands.

    Dr Kin did his postgraduate courses in Strategic Business Management, Strategic Leadership Communication and Strategies for Leading Successful Change Initiatives at Harvard University, Boston USA.

    • Other current and previous roles played by Dr Kin Kariisa:
    • Lecturer of e-Government and Information Security to graduate students at Makerere University, Kampala and Radbond University in the Netherlands
    • Director of Eco Bank Uganda Limited, one of the largest banks in Africa
    • Chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters, an umbrella industry association for all Television, Radio and online broadcasters in Uganda.
    • Chairman of Board of Directors of Nile Hotel International, that owns the leading hotel in Uganda, Kampala Serena Hotel.
    • Chairman of Board of Directors of Soliton Telmec Uganda, the leading telecom company in Optic fibre business managing over 80% of optic fibre in Uganda.