Better for the planet, Better for Gen Z

Whilst London was facing a very real demonstration of extreme heat, we were talking about the power of our food system in climate action. Because the reality is, we cannot produce enough food to feed our population at current diets and prices. Soil health, import dependency, biodiversity loss, these aren’t future risks. They’re present ones. 

The conversation about fixing the food system has mostly been held in one register: sustainability. It’s a word that, according to Dorothy Shaver, has almost lost its value given how ubiquitous but also vague it’s become. We need a new angle that will really make waves when it comes to what people put on their plates. How can we create more ‘sustainable’ mindsets and purchasing behaviour?  

This behaviour is particularly vital for Gen Z, which Dorothy investigated in a study with Edleman in her role as Global Food Sustainability Director at Unilever.  

In our talk, we unpacked why engaging with this generation is so crucial in shaping the food market and a more resilient future of food.  

The say-do gap  

Gen Z make up 2.5 billion people, $360B+ in spending power, who are redefining what ‘worth it’ means in food. Dorothy’s research found that around half say sustainability matters, and many would pay more for it. Whereas only 32% act on that regularly, and 62% cite cost as the barrier. That’s not hypocrisy, it’s real values meeting real constraints. 

The question: does reframing through health close that gap? 

Three things we took from the data 

Health is functional, not restrictive. 

Gen Z wants food that *does* something. 73% consume for energy, 61% for mental wellbeing, and would rather know what a product gives them than what it excludes. Only 22% have followed a restrictive diet this past year. 

Trust is fragile, and jargon is a tax. 

Only 27% trust traditional health authorities; 64% trust “someone like me.” Two-thirds disengage when sustainability messaging feels exaggerated, and workshop participants admitted they’d scroll past a term like “regenerative agriculture.” Encouragingly, over two-thirds trust a brand more when it admits progress rather than claiming perfection. Brand credibility comes from clarity and humility, not scale or ambition. 

Sustainability must be visible to be believed. 

Packaging is the most tangible proof point Gen Z has, 80% value refill and reuse systems, and plastic actively erodes trust, particularly in regions like Brazil and India. This generation has seen enough campaigns, what lands now is evidence in the physical world, not just messaging. 

Where this leaves us 

The cynical reading of ‘sell health, not sustainability’ is slapping a new label on the same products – and that won’t survive contact with this audience. Their trust radar is tuned to spot it as digital detectives. The genuine version requires the product or brand to actually change, with a real, substantiated benefit and visibly different packaging.  

The path forward isn’t a choice between human health and planetary health, they’re the same argument. Gen Z won’t be moved by carbon targets. They will be moved by food that makes them feel good, that they trust, and that doesn’t cost them their values or their budget. Meet them there genuinely, and the food system benefits too. 

How we communicate is absolutely vital, and as Dorothy noted in her wrap-up of the week, “storytelling matters more than ever. Facts and science are essential for credibility, and stories are what inspire people to care, participate, and ultimately change”.  

Interested in finding out more?

If your brand or product could do with a storytelling refresh. To reconnect with the right audience with engaging messaging, then drop us a note. A team of our bright strategists and clever creatives can work with you to find the areas to supercharge your positioning and communications.

New Business, Toby Barty, Managing Director | toby.barty@catchafireagency.com

General Enquiry, Ben May, Senior Marketing Manager | theteam@catchafireagency.com