Sustainability Perception and Upcycling Behaviour among Generation Y and Generation Z Consumers in Pakistan: An Integrated Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) Approach

Um E Ammara, Prof Zhang Zhe

Sustainability, Upcycling, Generation Y, Generation Z, Theory of Planned Behavior, Fashion Involvement, Pakistan

The worldwide fashion sector is one of the largest contributors to environmental deterioration, producing over 92 million tons of textile waste per year. In nations like Pakistan, where the culture of fast fashion is rapidly gaining popularity among younger customers, sustainable alternatives such as clothes upcycling remain critically underexplored. This study suggests an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model that includes environmental values, environmental beliefs, and personal norms as upstream antecedents of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control to compare Generation Y (Millennials, aged 25–40) and Generation Z (aged 18–24) consumers in Pakistan on their upcycling intentions and behaviors. A total of 725 respondents (430 Generation Z; 295 Generation Y) from eleven cities of Pakistan were approached through a self-administered questionnaire. And data have been examined on SPSS and AMOS software. Early results suggest that Gen Z respondents show much higher levels of perceived enjoyment and social media–driven motivation toward upcycling, whereas Gen Y respondents have more practical attitudes based on economic utility and trash reduction. Subjective norms and perceived behavioral control turn out to be the key predictors of upcycling intention in both cohorts. The findings have practical implications for policymakers, fashion businesses and sustainability practitioners who want to encourage circular economy practices in Pakistan’s up-and-coming fashion industry.

Received: 24 Jul 2026, Received in revised form: 20 Aug 2026, Accepted: 25 Aug 2026, Available online: 31 Aug 2026

10.22161/ijaers.138.11