If you’ve been on the internet in the last five years, you’ve met Gen Z – the generation of people born between 1996 and 2010. They have strong opinions about what they like (tie-dye and TikTok) and what they hate (skinny jeans and the word “adulting”), which makes it hard to know what promo products to buy for a Gen Z audience.
One thing Gen Z supposedly cares about more than any other generation is the environment. In a 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center, 77% of Gen Z identified climate change as either their top concern (37%) or an important concern (40%), which was above the average for all age groups (31% and 39% respectively.)
We conducted our own survey to find out how Gen Z really feels about the environment, and how that translates into what they look for in a promotional product, so you can get a better understanding of what to buy when you’re targeting Gen Z.
Gen Z Say They’re Less Interested in the Environment Than Older Generations
At first glance, it looks like Gen Z aren’t as interested in the environment as we assumed.
Almost half (45%) of our Gen Z respondents rated their interest level in being environmentally friendly on the low end, between 0 to 5 out of 10. The most common answer was 5, the numerical equivalent of “meh.”
On the flip side, this means that 55% of Gen Z gave their level of interest as 6+ out of 10. However, for all other age groups, over 60% said 6+, so they’re still showing an above-average level of apathy.
Well, that was a short read! Surely this indicates that you don’t need to prioritize eco-friendly promotional products when you’re appealing to Gen Z – at least, not as much as you would when you’re shopping for people 30+. But not so fast: it turns out that the average Gen Zer still wants their products to come with eco-friendly credentials.
Appeal to Gen Z With Eco-Friendly Products
Even though a large proportion of our Gen Zers claim apathy towards the environment, the majority still prefer products that tout eco-friendly claims. If you’re shopping for Gen Z and you have a choice between two similar promo products, choose the one labeled eco-friendly.
So don’t skip over the eco-friendly product options yet! The majority of Gen Z want products from you that are eco-friendly. And it’s not just that 55% who take some interest in the environment. By choosing eco-friendly promotional products, you can also reach an eyebrow-raising percentage of the Gen Zers who claimed to take little or no interest in the environment.
Either Gen Zers care more than they realize – or they truly don’t care but want to look like they do. Whatever the reason, if you’re buying for Gen Z, make sure you’re choosing eco-friendly promo products.
Gen Z Are Willing To Pay a Higher Premium for Eco-Friendly Products Than Any Other Generation
By the way, if you’re selling your promo products as merch (as Gen Z prefers to call it, according to ASI), you can charge Gen Z a higher premium than other generations if it’s got that eco-friendly label.
If you can tell Gen Z that the water bottle you’re selling is eco-friendly, 87.92% of them will be willing to spend at least $1 more for it than for a non-eco-friendly version. That’s as long as the price is still reasonable and the quality is good. Over half of them would be willing to spend at least $5 more, and nearly 20% said $15+.
Conclusion: Choose Eco-Friendly Promo Products When You’re Shopping for Gen Z
We may be overestimating Gen Z’s interest in the environment, or maybe they’re underestimating! What is clear is that when you’re gifting or selling promo products to Gen Zers, you need to choose ones that have eco-friendly credentials.
Even Gen Zers who said they had very little interest in the environment will choose eco-friendly products over products without that label – so make sure the eco-friendly one is yours.
If you’re selling merch, you can afford to charge at least $1 more for an eco-friendly option, and still appeal to almost 90% of Gen Zers. However, keep in mind that most Gen Zers still prioritize an item’s price and quality over its environmental impact, so factor those in when you’re choosing Gen Z-targeted products.
If it comes in tie-dye, that will probably help too (but that’s another study.)
Additional Sources:
2021 Pew Research Center Survey: https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/05/26/gen-z-millennials-stand-out-for-climate-change-activism-social-media-engagement-with-issue/
2025 Deloitte Survey: https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-shared/docs/campaigns/2025/2025-genz-millennial-survey.pdf
2025 ASI End-Buyer Research Series: https://members.asicentral.com/research/end-buyer-research-series/#GenerationZ
Natasha Lavender
Natasha is an experienced writer and editor who has covered topics including technology, health and safety, business, and pop culture. Her work has been published by Good Housekeeping magazine, Forbes, Success, and more.
