Hypocritical Gen Z cant stop buying this planet-destroying product: study

Generation Z is the most eco-conscious and sustainability-aware cohort in history, but their rabid consumption habits speak much louder than their words, data reveals.According to research by the consultancy EY, 58 percent of Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2013 – say they want to buy products that are sustainable and ethically sourced.More than 60 percent of young Aussie consumers say they’re willing to pay more to buy from brands that have a positive impact on society, including when it comes to the environment, Statistica Research found.And yet Gen Z shoppers are flocking to Chinese fast fashion platforms like Temu and Shein in droves to get cheap and on-trend clothing in bulk.Assembling a huge wardrobe with the latest looks that cost tens of dollars rather than hundreds seems at odds with their self-reported care about climate change and sustainability.What arrives at their homes might not cost them a lot, but experts say the environment, human rights and efforts to reduce waste all pay a hefty price.Huge cost of fast fashionThe impact on the environment from the fast fashion boom is enormous, with each Australian on average buying 27kg of textiles each year, only to dump 23kg of it into landfill.RMIT University research also shows Aussies import a staggering amount of clothing – 1.4 billion items a year.An estimated 200,000 tonnes of clothing winds up in landfill across the country annually.“But it’s not only landfill,” UniSA PhD candidate Erin Skinner said.“Globally, the fashion industry produces about 20 percent of the world’s wastewater.This translates into 2700 liters of water to make one cotton T-shirt – enough water for one person to drink for nearly two and a half years.“And when it comes to CO2 emissions, the fashion industry produces more emissions than the shipping and aviation industries combined.”In 2022, Ms Skinner conducted research into the level of awareness Aussies have about the environmental impacts of fashion con...