The young people of Generation Z (born between 1997-2012) will reach 2.56 billion people by 2020. According to the GlobalWebIndex study, 58% would be willing to pay more for sustainable products. This generation has high expectations of companies and brands and how they address critical social and environmental issues. If millennials are already more eco-conscious than other past generations, Generation Z will be more assertive on sustainable beliefs and values, reflecting those in their purchases and actions.
There is no Planet B
During 2019 and early 2020 (before Covid), cities worldwide were filled with young people screaming out that there is no planet B, another planet on which human beings can survive. The Friday for Future movement led by Greta Thunberg or associations such as Zero Hour has managed to educate a whole generation about pollution dangers and make Gen Z the climate movement leaders.
They are tired of watching the planet die, and the oceans fill with plastics. Now, they are their opinion leaders. They are digital natives. They know how to communicate with anyone around the globe and create a buzz. They are aware of their power to influence many companies, and they know brands future can be prolonged or eliminated by a tweet or an Instagram post.
Luckily, there are already more responsibility to fix the planet. Several governmental actions are running globally to cut plastics, pollution, and linear economy procedures while companies are also changing their processes into more environmentally friendly.
Not only Gen Z needs to push for a better world; as individuals, we need to take action in our day-to-day and be more environmentally conscious. Remember, there is only one planet.
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