How personal values motivate secondhand clothes donation: the case of Gen Z and young millennials

Halimin Herjanto, Roberto Saldivar and Jennifer Yang

Social Responsibility Journal, 2026, vol. 22, issue 5, 1005-1024

Abstract: PurposeMaintaining and preserving the global environment is critical for human survival. Gen Z and young millennials have taken a special interest in this issue and have addressed it through their purchase and consumption habits. The purpose of this study is to explore how this has been done through secondhand clothing donations and identify the values motivating this behavior.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a qualitative approach to examine the role of personal values in motivating Gen Z and young millennials to donate secondhand clothes (SHC). The authors use a means-end chain approach and hard-laddering technique to analyze 72 usable participants’ comments from US responses centered on personal values motivating SHC donation behavior.FindingsThe findings show that five personal values (benevolence, hedonism, self-direction, spirituality and universalism) are responsible for the donating behavior of Gen Z and young millennials to SHC.Originality/valueThis study provides theoretical insights into a psychological mechanism that explains how personal values shape the SHC donating behavior of Gen Z and young millennials. These insights could help managers of thrift shops and other outlets looking to secure secondhand clothing garments for resale, repurpose and recycling purposes.

Keywords: Secondhand; Donation; Sustainable consumption; Clothing; Fashion; Reuse (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:srjpps:srj-05-2025-0461

DOI: 10.1108/SRJ-05-2025-0461

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