The next era of conscious consumption

Evidence tier: A1 Evidence type: Auto-discovered official publication Source: Mastercard Newsroom Official publication date: 2026-06-23 Captured: 2026-07-16T20:30:34.088Z

Circularity delivers value and values, creating a growth opportunity for businesses. Consumers are turning to circular models because they can offer affordability, durability and access without asking consumers to sacrifice.

• Out of all of the healthy and sustainable behaviors tracked by GlobeScan, “buying used,” is the one that is increasing over time. Nearly eight in 10 (78%) consumers say that this choice is price-motivated.

• Spending behavior from the Mastercard Economics Institute confirms that secondhand shopping growth is outpacing retail overall by a wide margin: in the top 20 circular shopping economies, secondhand clothing sales increased 28% year over year in 2025 compared to 8% growth in clothing stores.

• Rentals are also rising among younger generations around the world, as Gen Z and millennials are more than four times more likely than boomers to say they rent products instead of buying new ones, 30% compared to 7%. In the U.S., these generations are 15 times more likely to rent than boomers. According to the Mastercard Economics Institute, U.S. clothing rental spending grew 17.6% year-over-year in 2025.

• When it comes to the repair economy, 71% of consumers say they would prefer to repair products they already own rather than buying new products to replace them.

Enabling frictionless conscious consumption Capturing growth from these consumer trends requires the right infrastructure and partnerships to make circular choices simple, trusted and built into how people already shop, pay, return, repair and resell. Through payments, data, technology and partnerships, Mastercard helps turn conscious consumers’ intentions into purchases at scale. That role is already showing up in practical ways.

• Inspire: Incentive models like PlanetPoints use rewards to motivate more sustainable choices.

• Inform: Tools like the Mastercard Carbon Calculator give consumers greater visibility into the estimated environmental impact of their purchases.

• Enable: Mastercard’s payment infrastructure helps remove friction from everyday lower-impact choices – from tap to pay transportation systems to digitized deposit return schemes for recyclable and reusable packaging.

"Sustainable living may have taken root among the environmentally conscious, but today it’s gaining momentum by delivering tangible value everyone can feel, from saving money to accessing better, more durable goods and supporting personal health and well-being," said Ellen Jackowski, chief sustainability officer at Mastercard. "Circular purchasing behaviors are becoming more mainstream for everyday consumers because the tools and infrastructure to inspire, inform and enable them are finally emerging."

To learn more about Mastercard's sustainability solutions, visit: Mastercard US | Environmentally Conscious Choices