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H&M or ZARA may have a problem. The European Union has decided on fast fashion
Production with care for the environment – important, but not possible everywhere
Two thirds of Poles (66%) admit that it is important to them that the products and services they buy are produced with respect for the natural environment. However, according to the respondents, not all product categories have the potential to be produced in an ecological manner.
Respondents distinguish three industries that have the greatest chance of meeting this condition. These are: food products (excluding beverages): 56%, cosmetics (49%) and clothes (46%). In the case of the latter, women (51%) and residents of large agglomerations (55%) are much more likely to believe this.
Interestingly, we do not observe any significant differences due to the age of the respondent. However, an interesting trend shows that the strength of belief in the ecological potential of the clothing industry increases with the average age of the respondent.
The future of the "green" approach to clothing brands is unclear
In this context, the relatively low result among the youngest respondents is surprising – only 44% of Poles aged 16-24 believe that clothes can be made with care for the natural environment. Compared to the entire population, in this group we also observe a greater tendency to use platforms such as Shein or Temu, which do not have a pro-environmental image. On the other hand, respondents from the youngest age category are significantly more likely (44%) to buy clothes second-hand, e.g. via Vinted.
– Thanks to the EKOBarometer survey, we see that the issue of ecology and respect for the natural environment is one of the most important "non-price" aspects that Polish consumers pay attention to when choosing brands. We asked respondents, among others: about what product categories can be produced organically. According to the respondents, these are food, cosmetics and clothes. The latter was indicated by almost half of Poles, including young ones. But at the same time, this youngest group was the most likely to declare that they buy clothes on platforms that are becoming more and more popular in the context of the so-called ultra-fast fashion. To "wipe away tears", we also have declarations about buying second-hand clothes more often. All this gives us a rather ambiguous future of a truly "green" consumer approach to conscious shopping, and in any case, it makes us approach the issue of "declarations and real purchase decisions" with a bit of healthy distrust – says Paweł Gala, CEO and CEE Cluster Lead Wavemaker at the GroupM agency .
The problematic environmental personality of Generation Z
This apparent contradiction in the consumer choices of Generation Z can be partially explained by the so-called segmentation analysis, which is one of the main axes of the EKObarometer report. In short, it consists in distinguishing the following four types of eco-personalities of Poles:
- Eco Pragmatists (approx. 33% of the population) – people who care about the environment, but undertake pro-ecological activities in a practical and rational way, guided mainly by economic justification.
- Eco Posers (27%) – people declaring high interest in ecology, but not necessarily taking actual actions in this direction, which gives the impression of being "eco for show".
- Eco Enthusiasts (21%) – people who are fully committed to pro-ecological activities, for whom ecology is a priority, are the most ecologically authentic.
- Eco Critics (16%) – people who are critical of the use of ecology in marketing communications, often discouraged from pro-environmental activities and skeptical about pro-ecological initiatives.
It turns out that personality type resonates differently in the context of the previously discussed issues. For example, almost all (93%) Eco Enthusiasts admit that it is important to them that products and services are created with respect for the natural environment, while in the group of Eco Critics this percentage is almost three times lower (34%). Ecological personality also correlates with the frequency of using popular platforms and applications for shopping for clothing brands. Platforms such as Shein and Temu are more popular among Eco Pozorants (21% and 20%, respectively) than among other groups. Second-hand clothes, on the other hand, are primarily the domain of Eco Enthusiasts, among whom as many as one third (34%) declare that they have purchased this product category in the Vinted application in the last 3 months. However, Eco Critics, although they are not very active on fast-fashion platforms, are also least convinced to give clothes a second life via shopping platforms.
Distinguishing ecological personalities also allows for better insight into the profile of the young generation. When it comes to the structure of segments, we can see that among representatives of Generation Z, the emphasis is shifted towards Eco Posers, which is the most heterogeneous and contradictory group in terms of declarations and behaviors. People who focus only on demonstrating their ecological attitudes, without taking action, constitute as many as 44% of the 16-24-year-olds category, while there are only 24% of Eco Pragmatists.
– The segmentation analysis of the ECObarometer shows the diversity of approaches to ecology among Poles, especially in the context of Generation Z. The intensity of people declaring pro-ecological attitudes without real action may indicate a strong influence of social pressure and the need for acceptance in social media on the consumer choices of 16-24-year-olds. There is also a clear contrast in purchasing behavior in this group, which may indicate their greater susceptibility to marketing trends and less authentic commitment to ecology. These differences emphasize the need for a more effective approach to ecological education and the promotion of a sustainable lifestyle, which may be quite a challenge for such a demanding consumer group as Gen Z – comments Piotr Zimolzak, vice-president of SW Research and head of the EKObarometer project.
Information about the study and project partner
The study was conducted on April 29-12, 2024 using the CAWI technique by the SW Research research institute on a representative sample of 1,500 Poles aged 16-80. ECObarometer is a series of studies devoted to the analysis of current attitudes and moods of Polish consumers towards the broadly understood ecology present in various spheres of everyday life. It has been implemented by the SW Research agency continuously since the first quarter of 2020.
GroupM is a media investment group responsible for nearly 1/3 of global advertising investments in the world and in Poland. GroupM creates a technology and negotiation platform for WPP media agencies: EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker. It provides their clients with access to purchasing technologies and specialized marketing services. The Group is a partner of EKObarometer for the third time, and in this year's edition it co-created a thematic block devoted to ecological attitudes when making purchasing decisions.
