The year is 2030: Consumers want businesses to drive sustainability

As we head towards 2030, it will be increasingly important for all businesses - including advertisers and media owners - to embody, uphold and champion consumers’ value and expectations, particularly when it comes to sustainability. At present, there is a gap between consumer attitudes and actions on sustainability. While people consider the environment when purchasing, their focus has waned since 2021, partly due to the cost-of-living crisis. Research shows that consumers expect businesses to ‘be good’, lead by example and drive environmental change through proactivity and transparency. Overall, industry leaders see sustainability in media as vital, with advertising playing a key role in driving positive change.

The Shein effect vs. Vinted’s growth

The rise of fast fashion retailers like Shein illustrates the disconnect between consumers wanting to be 'good' vs. the desire for affordability and speed, which is particularly prominent among Gen Z. However, this is tempered somewhat by the growth of the second-hand market via apps like Vinted and Depop - driven by increased awareness of sustainability, items' affordability and how easy it is to resell or buy items. 82% of consumers feel a positive emotion when buying second hand according to ThredUp’s 2022 ‘Resale Report’, while its 2024 update reveals that 74% of retail executives who don’t currently offer resale are either considering or planning on getting into resale in the future.

The trust factor

Businesses meeting consumers’ expectations isn't just about sustainability – it's also about upholding transparency and improving trust. Consumers' concerns around privacy sharing and data usage are slowly decreasing, and research released by Credos in January 2025 shows that people’s trust in advertising generally is improving, driven by young people – with over half of 18-34 year-olds trusting online ads.

However, older generations still retain concerns around how their data is being used and, with 60% of people willing to share their data if they feel they can trust the organisation according to the Data Protection Network, it's vital that trust is earnt. With AI set to reshape data collection and processing by 2030, balancing technological advancement with privacy protection will require collaboration between governments, companies and individuals to maintain and improve trust in the long-term.