Youth, Climate, and the Demand for Regenerative Brands.
Young activists are raising the bar on accountability, justice, and intergenerational collaboration.
When Climate Becomes Personal
For today’s young leaders, climate change is not abstract; it’s inhaled in the smoke of wildfires, lived through drought, and felt in rising respiratory illness. These experiences are catalysts for action, driving youth to organize, mobilize, and demand that brands move beyond campaigns into structural change.
Their message is direct: do not design a future for us without us. A lack of political power has not diminished their cultural voice, and that voice is calling on brands to collaborate in building a regenerative future.
The Price of Greenwashing
Younger generations treat corporate sustainability claims with deep skepticism. Years of greenwashing have trained them to assume exaggeration is the norm. As one activist said, “Greenwashing and false sustainability is hurting your business.” Another noted that too often the marketing budget outweighs the actual investment in solutions.
The consequence is clear: credibility is not bought with campaigns; it is earned through transparent, verifiable action.
Justice as the Starting Point
For this generation, climate and justice are inseparable. The crisis disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities, women, LGBTQ+ people, and workers. As one youth leader stressed, “Sustainability has to be anti-racist and anti-oppressive, or it’s not sustainability.” For brands, this is a fundamental shift: sustainability that ignores justice is seen as hollow.
The only credible path forward is an intersectional approach that tackles inequality and oppression alongside environmental goals.
Intergenerational Design as Necessity
The most compelling opportunity for brands is intergenerational design, uniting elders with lived wisdom, institutional leaders with influence, and youth with creativity and cultural fluency. This model doesn’t just broaden perspective; it redefines how problems are framed and solutions co-created. Done well, it deepens foresight, inspires regenerative products built to last across lifetimes, and shifts culture by amplifying diverse voices.
As David Attenborough reminded leaders at COP26: “The people most affected by climate change are no longer some imagined future generation, but young people alive today. Perhaps that will give us the impetus we need to rewrite our story.” For brands, collaboration across generations is no longer optional, it is a strategic imperative.
Bottom Line
Brands that ignore youth demands for accountability, justice, and collaboration will not just lose trust; they will lose their license to lead.
Those that invite the next generation into strategy and design will gain credibility, resilience, and relevance in the future being built right now.
