Sustainability

As global attention on environmental sustainability grows, the fashion industry is shifting towards circular models, with the second-hand clothing market emerging as a key pathway to sustainable development. In China, this market is rapidly evolving, with millennials and Generation Z showing strong interest in environmentally friendly and personalized fashion. This study investigates Chinese consumers’ motivations and barriers to purchasing second-hand clothing and examines the diversity of China’s sustainable fashion ecosystem. Using a mixed-methods approach of semi-structured interviews and surveys, the findings reveal that environmental awareness, economic affordability, and social influence drive purchase intentions, while hygiene concerns, societal perceptions, and trust in platforms act as barriers. The study also compares the roles of online platforms, offline vintage stores, and upcycling fashion brands, highlighting their complementarity across economic, cultural, and social dimensions. Online platforms offer efficiency and convenience, vintage stores build brand loyalty through cultural narratives, and upcycling brands merge creativity with sustainability. It also reflects on the cultural context shaping second-hand fashion adoption in China. The study suggests enhancing trust in platforms, promoting education, and leveraging social media campaigns to support future market development.

Agroforestry intercropping is increasingly recognized for improving soil quality and crop productivity, yet its effects on soil nutrient dynamics, enzyme activities across soil profiles, and tea yield remain insufficiently understood. Here, we assessed how four systems—monoculture tea (CK), Osmanthus–tea (OT), Michelia–tea (MT), and Osmanthus–Michelia–tea (OMT)—influence soil properties and spring tea yield in hilly plantations of southern China. Across systems, the OMT configuration produced the highest spring tea yield, representing a 39.5% increase relative to CK, accompanied by a 19.0% increase in tea bud density. In the 0–20 cm soil layer, OMT markedly enhanced soil organic matter by 48.4%, total nitrogen by 25.8%, and available nitrogen and phosphorus by 24.9% and significant margins, respectively, while also stimulating enzyme activities—urease (+34.1%), sucrase (+17.2%), dehydrogenase (+43.9%), amylase (+17.2%), and cellulase (+60.7%). In the 20–40 cm layer, OMT increased soil organic matter (+48.4%), total nitrogen (+25.8%), and available nitrogen, and elevated key enzyme activities, including sucrase (+46.5%), acid phosphatase (+16.3%), and polyphenol oxidase (+20.1%). Correlation and principal component analyses further revealed strong positive associations among nutrient enrichment, enzyme activation, and tea yield. These findings demonstrate that the OMT agroforestry configuration enhances nutrient availability and enzymatic function throughout the soil profile, thereby promoting higher tea yield. Overall, OMT substantially improved spring-season soil fertility and productivity, highlighting its potential for sustainable tea plantation management.

(1) Background: Each generation’s approach to private-sphere environmentalism is shaped by distinct historical and socio-economic contexts, values, educational opportunities, and living conditions. The aim of this article is to identify differences on this issue among four generations (BB, X, Y, Z) of Poles. (2) Methods: An online survey was conducted on a quota sample of 1000 individuals, with each generation represented by 250 participants. The sample was balanced across generations in terms of gender, education, and place of residence. (3) Results: The top private-sphere environmental behavior was waste segregation (M = 5.1, SD = 1.23), followed by using reusable bags (M = 4.92, SD = 1.2) and reducing energy use (M = 4.57, SD = 1.2). The older the generation, the higher the score in the private-sphere environmentalism index (F = 33.3 (3, 996), p < 0.001). Significant predictors of the private-sphere environmental behaviors (PSE) index were age, gender, environmental concern, and perceived self-impact on the environment, and the final hierarchical regression model explained 38% of the variance in the PSE index. (4) Conclusions: These results underscores the need to account for generational contexts when developing behavior-change strategies and sustainability policies aligned with SDG 12.