Ethical Consumption

Awareness of the connection between lifestyle choices and climate change is growing among consumers. While markets for sustainable lifestyle products continue to expand, these products are often marketed to wealthier customers, limiting their long-term impact on emission reductions. Beyond consumer choices, land use decisions, access to sustainable transportation, and the design of the built environment also play key roles in fostering more sustainable lifestyles.

A notable trend in this shift is the rising popularity of secondhand goods, particularly among Gen Z. This generation's environmental concerns are driving the shift toward more ethical consumption patterns (though their levels of consumption remain unsustainably high). Spurred by pandemic-induced supply chain issues, rising inflation, and the growth in digital resale and peer-to-peer platforms, higher-income and younger populations are joining lower-income groups in purchasing used items from clothes to furniture. With the secondhand fashion market growing by 15 percent from 2023 to $227 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $325 billion by 2031, planners should consider planning for spaces to accommodate repair, repurposing, and reselling in their communities.