Fast fashion is avoided by 37% of Czech Generation Z and 33% of domestic millennials. Around 70% of young people in the Czech Republic actively try to minimise their environmental impact. More than two-thirds of them also think companies should do more in the area of sustainability, according to a survey by consultancy and technology company Deloitte.
As many as 39% of Czech millennials and 45% of members of the domestic Generation Z said they had felt worried or anxious about climate change in the past month. Abroad, the number was 17% higher for Gen Z and 20% higher for millennials. 71% of domestic Gen Z are actively trying to minimise their environmental impact, compared to two per cent more globally - 73%. The difference is greater when looking at millennials. For Czech millennials it was 68%, while in the world it was almost 10% more - 77%.
The responsible consumer attitude of young Czech men and women most often consists of avoiding fast fashion chains, which, according to scientists, are among the biggest culprits of climate change, along with oil and mining companies. 37% of Czech Generation Z do not buy fast fashion, along with 33% of millennials, and more than 13% of both generations plan to. Respondents ranked reducing air travel, finding out the environmental impact of goods before buying them, eating a vegetarian or vegan diet and buying an electric car next.
"Young people perceive the impact of collective impact through their personal responsibility. For example, by rejecting the fast-fashion industry and making other sustainable choices as consumers, they motivate companies to make positive changes," says Klara Jahnova, Climate Goals Coordinator at the consulting and technology company Deloitte.
Pressure on companies and governments is growing
Young people also believe that companies could and should do more to enable consumers to make more sustainable purchasing decisions. 69% of Generation Z hold this view, compared to 79% globally. For domestic millennials, the figure is 67%, while abroad it is 81%.
"The data is also consistent with our recent survey, which focused on supply chain sustainability. According to it, 77% of companies in Central Europe have seen specific customer preferences or market trends that indicate a growing demand for sustainable products, services or supply chains. In other words, the demand for sustainability is growing, and increasingly Czech customers' attitudes will be closer to those of Western customers, especially among younger generations," says Deloitte sustainability expert David Mejsnar.
With 59% of Czech Generation Z (77% abroad) and 55% of domestic millennials (79% globally),governments should play a bigger role in pressuring companies to address climate change.
"Increasingly, companies will be pushed to be more sustainable and more responsible not only by customers, but also by investors, banks or European and government regulations, which is already starting to happen," adds David Mejsnar.
The Deloitte Gen Z and Millennials 2024 survey includes responses from 500 respondents in the Czech Republic (300 Gen Z and 200 Millennial respondents) to complement the global survey, which had a total of 22,841 respondents (14,468 Gen Z and 8,373 Millennials) from 44 countries across North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The survey was conducted from November 2023 to March 2024.
Source: mediaguru.cz
