Why do Gen Z Continue to Buy Fast Fashion?

Gen Z is known for their social responsibility and sustainability practices. In a recent survey, Gen Z experienced the most anxiety about climate change than other generations. This could be seen in the climate action protests in 2019, with over 1.6 millions students attending worldwide. Similarly, the second-hand app Vinted generated 62 million in net income in 2025. Young people are taking active steps to reduce the effects of climate change for a more sustainable future.

So why does sustainability stop when it comes to fast fashion? More people may be buying from Vinted, but the textile industry still produces 2-8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, as well as 11% of the world’s plastic waste. Additionally, many fashion brands profit from repressing garment workers by abusing their labour rights in many countries. These include Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. Gen Z are fully aware of the unethical practices of the fast fashion industry – so why are young people trying to be more sustainable, but continue to buy fast fashion? If Gen Z is a more sustainable generation, why do so many people buy fast fashion?

Fashion Trends

Throughout social media, fashion and micro-trends are constantly changing. To meet these expectations, many young people feel the need to buy the latest ‘trendy’ clothes. Micro-trends can’t necessarily be offered by second-hand or sustainable fashion brands because of the time it takes to produce the clothes in an ethical way, and the short-livedness of the trend. However, a recent study found that when consumers are concerned about functionality, quality and usefulness, they are less likely to buy from fast fashion brands. If trends weren’t constantly shifting on social media, would Gen Z be less concerned about fitting in, and more concerned about how long the clothes will last?

Sustainability Information on Clothing Tags

When someone buys clothes from a fast fashion brand, they probably know that the brand is harmful. Can reinforcement reduce the consumers chances of buying from the brand? A recent experiment in Germany would say yes. Participants rated how sustainable they perceived the clothes they were shown, and how likely they were to buy the clothes. Even when clothes were rated as unsustainable, the participants still had a high chance of buying the clothes. However, when the same clothes had tags on them that had information about their environmental harm, people were less likely to buy the clothes, even though they had already known that the clothes weren’t sustainable. Do consumers ‘filter out’ ethical considerations when they buy something new? Could reminding people about how the clothing was made, and who it was made by, reduce their chances of buying from fast fashion brands?

Costs

In the same study, participants rated some clothes as unsustainable, but had a higher purchase intention for these clothes that were on sale. Sustainable products can be up to 75-85% more expensive than conventional products. With a worldwide growing cost of living, it is understandable why Gen Z has to turn to fast fashion for purchasing clothes, even when they know the problems associated with these brands.

Moral justifications

If you can’t directly see the harm that the industry causes, is it that bad? The harm isn’t direct – this is the thought process that many customers used to justify their purchases in a survey with American consumers. Since we are constantly exposed to new trends, clothes and fashion on social media, it is natural to want to buy new clothes. Perhaps it isn’t something that a sustainable brand can offer, or a specific item from a fast fashion brand that you want. To try to justify this purchase, you might remind yourself that you can’t directly see the harm or be affected by it. This allows you to disengage from reality and reduce any feelings of guilt.