My theses & topics

GenZ behaves so much more sustainably than other generations

Gen Z strongly supports sustainability in surveys, but their behavior presents a mixed picture: Temu and Shein hauls are commonplace alongside Fridays for Future activism. Older generations are more consistent in many areas of everyday life: 65% of Baby Boomers bring reusable bags with them when shopping, compared to just 43% of Gen Z. Therefore, please base your decisions not on assumptions about generations, but on real behavioral data and context.

Just because people say in surveys that they want to buy sustainably doesn’t mean they do it

In behavioral research, this phenomenon is called the attitude-behavior gap: People say what sounds socially desirable, but often act completely differently. They profess sustainability, yet still choose fast-fashion items or cheap flights.

That's why I don't rely solely on surveys or attitudes, but rather analyze concrete behavior in real context. Only then can I develop marketing strategies that truly work.

People often say they'd pay more for sustainability. Really?

Many say they would be willing to pay more for sustainability. But does this also apply at the checkout? In surveys, people often answer how they would like to be—not necessarily how they actually act.

What they reveal is their ideal self. But when it comes to purchasing, it's usually their current self that decides: price-conscious, comfortable, impulsive.

Shock images in communication have an effect

When communicating sustainability, negative images and stories are often found: the polar bear is disappearing, the earth is burning, or the bees are dying. These dramatic images are intended to create a certain sense of necessity and truly shake people up. In science, this is called negative reinforcement. However, it doesn't work very well; instead, it leads to feelings of powerlessness and repression.

The CO2 footprint reaches and convinces people

CO2 values are important and correct – but they hardly convince anyone outside the sustainability department.
Why? Because many people can't grasp these numbers intuitively. Research tells us that we need a certain degree of numeracy to truly classify and process numbers. So why should we be better at processing CO2 values than other numbers?

Sustainability is a competitive advantage

“Our sustainability initiative makes us unique!” – really?
To be a competitive advantage, it must be positively noticeable and clearly distinguishable. And this must always be from the consumer's perspective! But many people associate sustainability with sacrifice. And almost all brands now advertise this. Where is the difference from the consumer perspective?

Circular economy, regenerative economy, circular economy… sounds good, right?”

But let's be honest: Are these terms really understood? And now we're adding terms like "impact," "net zero," "renewable economy," or "ESG"—and we expect everyone to get on board?

Maybe we should stop trying to impress people with buzzwords and start speaking in clear, understandable language.