Once upon a time, romantic first dates involved show-off bottles of wine, red lips and red roses.
Now, in 2026, eco-obsessed youth prefer to look for “green flags” in patchwork clothing, evidence of car sharing and reusable coffee cups, a study has suggested.
Close to three in four daters, responding to the survey, placed shared environmental values as highly as physical compatibility. Almost 80 per cent of Gen Z, and 70 per cent of millennials, saw “eco-consciousness” as a “green flag”.
More than 40 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds would even decline a first or second date with someone who was not environmentally aware.
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For Tamsin Morris, 21, a student in sustainability at Exeter University, romance can no longer be separated from environmental values and ethics. “It’s a turn-off if someone is completely uninterested or dismissive about environmental consequences — it’s definitely not an appealing quality,” she said. “Some people don’t grow up with much experience of sustainability but if they’re willing to educate themselves then that becomes attractive.”
Morris added: “Being switched-on about the world and the consequences of our lifestyles is symbolic of so much more. Personality and values play a huge role in dating because they relate to everything. I find that if someone doesn’t care about environmental issues, they don’t really care about anything at all.”
Her experience suggests the result of the survey of 1,000 people, commissioned by Faustino wine, may have some truth.
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Separate research carried out by Too Good To Go, an anti-food waste app, also found that 70 per cent of daters looked for an interest in sustainability in a long-term partner. Younger daters were more than twice as likely as over-55s to prioritise eco-values in love, it said.
Environmental ethics “are the qualities I want in a partner”, according to 23-year-old Dillon Singh Chana from London, who also studies at Exeter University. “If I was on a coffee date and I carried a KeepCup with me or refused a plastic straw and they made a joke about saving the turtles, or something, that would be a huge turn-off,” he said. “I wouldn’t want someone in my life that is not necessarily wanting the demise of the planet, but making a joke of it.”
Dillon Singh Chana
MARK PASSMORE FOR THE TIMES
“It wouldn’t bode well for a date if they littered,” he added. “Even an apple core or something biodegradable because it shows a lack of awareness about local ecology and doesn’t fit with my belief that we should leave no trace.”
Gen Z are clear on the new set of green and red flags they’re looking for.
“Paying more for environmentally friendly brands such as Patagonia” is a green flag, while fast fashion is an absolute no-no because it indicates a lack of care of “waste output”. Dillon added: “Patching your own clothes, or stitching up older wetsuits is a big green flag because well-worn gear looks cooler and shows you care.”
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Jacob Lucas, Faustino’s dating and relationship coach, said it was about the increased education of younger people on world matters.
“It is a deal-breaker because many of them are trying to apply good practices into their own lives and would want the same from a partner,” he said. “If someone litters, for example, then it shows they don’t share the same values as someone who wants to support the environment.
“Healthy relationships are all about being compatible in morals and ethics and the small everyday choices people make carry a lot of weight.
“They’re all signifiers of the way we think and the kind of person we are and so on dates, both parties will be reading between the lines in order to work out whether there’s a chance for love.”