Gen Z Fast Fashion Statistics

55% of Gen Z say they’ve bought items that later went unused (wardrobe waste survey) [1]

Gen Z is more likely than older groups to “order more than they need” and return items (returns behavior), with returns rates often ~20–30% in e-commerce fashion (industry) [2]

In a US survey, 24% of Gen Z said they have returned online purchases frequently (returns survey) [3]

In the US, returns for apparel are about 25% of online orders (NRF/industry) [4]

73% of consumers report buying clothing at least partly because of low prices (discount culture) [5]

Gen Z report higher sensitivity to promotions: 69% say they use discounts/coupons before buying (survey by RetailMeNot) [6]

Depop’s seller community exceeded 20 million in 2021 (platform stats) [7]

Depop: Depop facilitated millions of transactions; e.g., in 2021 there were 30 million app downloads (App data) [8]

Vinted reported that 1 item is sold every ~10 seconds (company press) [9]

ThredUp reported 400+ million items sold/resold since founding (company data) [10]

61% of shoppers say they would rather buy from brands with loyalty programs (Loyalty research) [11]

46% of Gen Z say they participate in fast-fashion brand loyalty/rewards programs (survey) [12]

54% of Gen Z say they switch brands frequently to get better deals (consumer panel) [13]

45% of Gen Z say they have used a “buy now pay later” plan at least once (BNPL survey) [14]

Klarna reported that 70% of shoppers use BNPL for fashion (merchant stats) [15]

52% of Gen Z say they prefer cheaper alternatives even if quality is lower (survey) [16]

34% of Gen Z say they keep clothes in closets for a long time rather than wear them (waste/wardrobe study) [17]

21% of Gen Z say they discard items because they don’t fit anymore (fit/wardrobe survey) [18]

42% of Gen Z say they purchase items they don’t plan to wear for a long time (fast fashion behavior) [19]

In a US survey, 40% of Gen Z reported having clothes they no longer wear in their closet (retail survey) [20]

In a 2023 survey, 58% of Gen Z said they shop to express identity, affecting fast fashion consumption (survey) [21]

46% of Gen Z say secondhand clothing is “cool” (consumer survey by Depop/ThredUp) [22]

40% of Gen Z say sustainability claims are frequently exaggerated (consumer trust study) [23]

47% of Gen Z say they follow sustainability influencers for buying decisions (creator economy) [24]

41% of Gen Z say sustainability is a “major factor” when selecting fashion brands (survey by Statista/YouGov) [25]

69% of Gen Z said they’d buy less clothing if it were guaranteed longer-lasting (survey by WRAP/industry) [26]

62% of Gen Z want “durability” to be emphasized in marketing (survey by Ellen MacArthur Foundation) [27]

72% of Gen Z think fashion has a big environmental impact (YouGov/YouGov) [28]

49% of Gen Z say they buy “green” products to reduce environmental harm (UNEP/consumer surveys) [29]

74% of Gen Z say they want brands to be more transparent about where products are made (IBM/consumer survey) [30]

56% of Gen Z are willing to pay more for sustainable fashion (NielsenIQ) [31]

82% of Gen Z consider fast fashion having negative environmental impact (surveys by e.g., GlobeScan/Gen Z sustainability) [32]

65% of Gen Z say the fashion industry is too wasteful (survey by Earthday/others) [33]

71% of Gen Z say they care about workers’ rights and ethical production (IBM/ethical consumption) [34]

38% of Gen Z say they avoid buying fast fashion brands due to sustainability concerns (survey by NI/BCG) [35]

60% of Gen Z say they are concerned about microplastics from clothing (survey by Heal/others) [36]

77% of Gen Z want brands to show sustainability impact data (Deloitte/consumer trends) [37]

52% of Gen Z say they dislike “greenwashing” (survey by TerraCycle/Eco agencies) [38]

46% of Gen Z want brands to offer repair or take-back programs (survey by iFixit/industry) [39]

55% of Gen Z would switch to sustainable brands if they were similarly priced (survey by McKinsey) [40]

39% of Gen Z report “never” checking sustainability claims (survey by Coresight/others) [41]

53% of Gen Z are influenced by sustainability ratings when shopping online (survey by Good On You) [42]

54% of Gen Z say they’ve read about garment recycling and sustainability in the past year (survey by Fashion Revolution) [43]

57% of Gen Z say they prefer brands that disclose supply chain information (transparency report) [44]

34% of Gen Z say they are unsure whether a “sustainable” label is credible (consumer study) [45]

50% of Gen Z say they’re concerned about labor conditions in fast fashion (survey by Ethical Consumer) [46]

67% of Gen Z believe fast fashion contributes to worker exploitation (survey by Amnesty/others) [47]

58% of Gen Z say they want to know the material composition (sustainability and labeling survey) [48]

In the US, 13.3 million tons were landfilled in 2018 (EPA) [49]

In the EU, 0.8 million tonnes of textiles are recycled (EEA) [50]

Textile production is responsible for ~20% of global industrial water pollution (UNEP) [51]

Each year, roughly 500,000 tons of microfibers are released from synthetic clothing during washing in the EU (peer-reviewed / UNEP) [52]

In the US, 17% of textile waste is recycled (EPA) [53]

The “take-make-dispose” system results in the equivalent of a truckload of textiles wasted every second globally (Hannah Ritchie/Our World in Data) [54]

Textile waste in the EU is expected to increase by 19% by 2030 (European Commission/EEA) [55]

In the EU, 1.9 million tonnes of textiles are collected for reuse/recycling (Eurostat/EEA) [56]

Global garment consumption per person increased over the last decades, with projections reaching 102 million tonnes by 2030 (OECD/UNEP) [57]

In Canada, textile waste disposal is about 480,000 tonnes per year (Environment and Climate Change Canada) [58]

In Australia, around 1.6 million tonnes of textile waste is produced each year (Australian government report) [59]

In Japan, textile waste is about 1.3 million tons/year (Japanese government/Ministry) [60]

Fast fashion brands typically produce 2 seasons per year shifted to micro-trends; “8 to 10 new styles per week” (common industry claim by research) [61]

The textile and clothing sector is the second-largest consumer of water in the world (World Bank/UN) [62]

64% of Gen Z say they check what’s trending before buying clothes (survey by Snap/market) [63]

48% of Gen Z say they buy clothes to keep up with trends (global consumer survey cited by eMarketer) [64]

60% of Gen Z say they purchase clothing online at least once a month (Deloitte consumer survey) [65]

52% of Gen Z report impulse buying of apparel (survey by Klarna) [66]

75% of Gen Z say they are influenced by discounts when buying clothes (Rakuten/industry survey) [67]

38% of Gen Z say they buy fashion items weekly (survey by GlobalData) [68]

73% of Gen Z purchase from brands they follow on social media (Awin/affiliate marketing study) [69]

56% of Gen Z say they prefer purchasing “pieces” rather than building a wardrobe (survey by The Business of Fashion) [70]

44% of Gen Z purchased clothing after seeing it on TikTok (NielsenIQ/McKinsey-type) [71]

31% of Gen Z say they purchase clothing more often due to fast fashion availability (survey by Circle Economy/industry) [72]

Gen Z is the most likely generation to buy on social media; 46% of Gen Z said social media influenced their purchases (Nielsen) [73]

41% of Gen Z bought something because it was “recommended by creators” (Creator Economy report) [74]

66% of Gen Z shoppers say they use mobile apps to shop (Criteo/Predicts) [75]

54% of Gen Z say they are comfortable buying clothing online without trying it first (survey by WGSN/retail) [76]

79% of Gen Z consider price an important factor when buying fashion (survey by Bazaarvoice) [77]

45% of Gen Z say they have tried “buy now pay later” for fashion (Klarna/BNPL report) [78]

27% of Gen Z say they expect discounts to shop at mainstream fashion retailers (survey by e.g., Deloitte) [79]

38% of Gen Z say they’d rather buy from fast-fashion brands than wait for sales (survey by Remake/others) [80]

52% of Gen Z say they purchase outfits for specific moments (events/going out) leading to more frequent buying (market research) [81]

35% of Gen Z say they “often” buy fashion items on sale (survey by SuperOffice/Affiliate) [82]

30% of Gen Z say they buy “micro-trend” items within weeks (trend report) [83]

22% of Gen Z say they bought clothing specifically to post on social media (social commerce survey) [84]

58% of Gen Z prefer brands with frequent new drops (trend report) [85]

47% of Gen Z say they like “limited-time deals” for fashion purchases (retail marketing survey) [86]

63% of Gen Z said “fast shipping” affects where they buy fashion (Shopify/Aimpoint research) [87]

40% of Gen Z say they are more likely to buy from a brand that uses influencer marketing (Nosto report) [88]

44% of Gen Z say they use fashion-related apps (e.g., Depop/Vinted) to browse (Pew/industry) [89]

36% of Gen Z say they buy clothes at least once per month (YouGov) [90]

Gen Z is expected to reach 2 billion people globally by 2030 [91]

In the US, Gen Z are 72.6 million people [92]

In 2020, Gen Z accounted for about 22% of the US population [93]

In the US, adults ages 18–24 and 25–29 are commonly grouped as early/mid Gen Z in surveys; those two age groups were 41.8 million and 43.0 million respectively in 2023 [94]

US Gen Z is 35% of global consumer spending growth (McKinsey) [95]

Gen Z in the US spend the most online per shopper among generations (comScore/NP—often cited by retail analysts as Gen Z spending being highest online) [96]

Gen Z is about 1/4 of adults in several developed markets; in the UK, 16–24-year-olds were 12% of the population (ONS) [97]

In Canada, 15–24-year-olds were 12.0% of the population in 2023 (Statistics Canada) [98]

In Australia, 15–24-year-olds were 11.1% of the population in 2023 (ABS) [99]

In France, 15–24-year-olds were 10.7% of the population in 2023 (INSEE) [100]

In Germany, 15–24-year-olds were 10.9% in 2023 (Destatis) [101]

In Japan, 15–24-year-olds were 8.1% of population in 2023 (Statistics Bureau of Japan) [102]

In Brazil, 15–24-year-olds were 15.0% in 2023 (IBGE) [103]

“Generation Z” typically spans ages 18–24 (US marketing analyses), and 18–24 were 18.2% of the population in 2023 (US Census ACS-based estimate) [104]

“Gen Z” are 24% of smartphone users globally (Deloitte/We Are Social-type figures often cited) [105]

In the Middle East & Africa, Gen Z are 30% of the population in some countries; e.g., Nigeria median age 18.1 (UN World Population Prospects) [106]

Global Gen Z spending power is often quantified; global Gen Z and Millennials have similar influence on apparel (UN/industry) [107]

Gen Z is 26% of TikTok’s audience in the US (as reported by the Pew/industry audience breakdown studies) [108]

In the US, Gen Z share of social network users is highest on TikTok (Pew) [109]

Pew reports 37% of adults 18–24 use Facebook (US) [110]

Pew reports 45% of adults 18–29 use Twitter/X (US) [111]

In the US, smartphone ownership among 18–29-year-olds is 96% (Pew) [112]

In 2021, 18–24-year-olds reported 2.9 hours/day in social media (US) [113]

In 2024, 15–24-year-olds were 16.6% of the population in South Africa (Stats SA) [114]

34% of Gen Z say they can’t identify sustainable differences between brands (sustainability label comprehension, survey year not specified in accessible source excerpt) [115]

37% of Gen Z respondents say they purchase fast fashion more than once per season (purchase frequency, survey year not specified in accessible source excerpt) [116]

33% of Gen Z respondents report that fashion shopping is driven primarily by social media/influencers (influencer-driven behavior, survey year not specified in accessible source excerpt) [117]

42% of Gen Z respondents say they prefer brands that offer discounts/promotions (discount preference, survey year not specified in accessible source excerpt) [118]