Hello, I'm Mary Portis and this is The Kindness Economy, a podcast that looks at the new values driving the businesses of tomorrow.

People, planet and profit in that order. It's the future.

Are you ready for better?

We often hear that Generation Zed is conflicted and so addicted to fashion that 64% of British 16 to 19 year olds admit to buying clothes they've never worn, with 70% simultaneously saying that sustainability is an important factor in their purchasing decisions.

Well, look, this is hardly surprising. You know, they've been brought up in a world

in which the climate debate has increasingly taken centre stage.

But they've also come of an age when social media,

marketing that pervades every aspect of their lives,

and alongside that, a fashion machine that's got even faster.

It's understandable that they're voracious consumers, even though they still want to save the planet.

In his 2019 book, Narrative Economics, Robert Schiller argued that popular stories drive our economies by

seeping into our culture and then drive out our buying decisions. This story we've all been told

for decades now is that, well, buying will make us better, make us happier, more content,

more, more, more, get the it bed. Get the new trousers.

Gotta have three pairs of trainers. No, you don't. You've got to have six pairs of trainers.

But as much older consumers might think they're different to generations, Ed.

It's time to be honest. When we think about fashion or buying stuff for our home, who doesn't enjoy the rush of

dopamine the experience when they hand over their card and they take the handle of a beautiful

shopping bag. Generation Zed might be in the spotlight for this, but they're just the ultimate

evolution of what older generations have always done.

And while the fingers often pointed at fast fashion, excuse me, let's not forget,

luxury retailers are far from innocent.

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