Although greater than 70 p.c of Europeans need to make extra sustainable style decisions, vital boundaries are holding them again.
Trellis knowledge accomplice GlobeScan not too long ago partnered with European style platform Zalando to conduct a complete examine of Gen Z and Millennial shopper attitudes, behaviors and expectations concerning style and sustainability throughout 5 European international locations. The findings reveal a big aspiration-action hole:
- 74 p.c need to be extra sustainable sooner or later by holding clothes gadgets for longer or extending their lifespan
- 71 p.c of customers aspire to buy extra sustainably
- 66 p.c of customers say they’re making extra sustainable style decisions
And but, persistent boundaries mood shopper ambitions:
- 41 p.c stated the value premium related to sustainable style is a number one deterrent
- 27 p.c stated it was troublesome figuring out sustainable gadgets
- 24 p.c stated they didn’t know the place to seek out sustainable style decisions
- 21 p.c stated that they had restricted information of sustainable style
- 19 p.c had skepticism towards sustainability claims
These information-related challenges are happening in a shifting regulatory panorama the place new anti-greenwashing guidelines intention to enhance transparency however can even make it extra complicated for manufacturers and retailers to speak clearly about their sustainability efforts.
What this implies
These findings, which have been supplemented with interviews with business specialists, underscore the significance of bridging the hole between aspiration and motion in sustainable style. There may be vital untapped potential for extra sustainable style behaviors, however provided that key boundaries are addressed.
Trend manufacturers and retailers have a vital function to play, whether or not by tackling the value premium by means of product innovation or by emphasizing the added worth that customers are keen to pay extra for, equivalent to sturdiness or high quality. They will additionally harness the business’s artistic strengths to speak sustainability extra successfully and compellingly.
Nevertheless, closing the aspiration-action hole requires greater than retailer or brand-level initiatives. It calls for coordinated efforts throughout the complete style ecosystem—from policymakers, regulators, social media platforms, influencers and society.
Based mostly on a survey of greater than 5,000 Gen Z and Millennial customers in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the U.Okay. carried out in February 2025.
