Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The global secondhand apparel market is expected to grow 3 times faster than the global apparel market overall by 2027
The circular fashion market is projected to reach $5.3 billion by 2023 growing at a CAGR of 10.55%
Resale is expected to overtake fast fashion by 2029 in total market value
Extending the life of clothing by just nine months of active use would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by 20-30% each
Buying used instead of new reduces a garment's carbon footprint by 82%
Upcycling 1kg of reused cotton can save 20,000 liters of water
62% of Gen Z and Millennials say they look for an item secondhand before purchasing it new
42% of consumers say they would pay more for products that are made from recycled or upcycled materials
59% of luxury consumers say that a brand's sustainability affects their purchasing decision
The fashion industry generates 92 million tons of textile waste annually
Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new clothing globally
The average American throws away approximately 81.5 lbs of clothes every year
Only 49% of brands publish a list of their suppliers making upcycling transparency difficult
15% of global fashion brands have now signed the Global Fashion Agenda's 2020 commitment to circularity
The number of brands launching their own resale platforms increased by 15x between 2018 and 2021
Consumer Sentiment & Behavior
- 62% of Gen Z and Millennials say they look for an item secondhand before purchasing it new
- 42% of consumers say they would pay more for products that are made from recycled or upcycled materials
- 59% of luxury consumers say that a brand's sustainability affects their purchasing decision
- Searches for 'upcycled fashion' on Pinterest increased by 48% in 2020
- 80% of Gen Z consumers believe that brands should help people live more sustainably
- 53% of consumers have repaired an item of clothing to extend its life
- 90% of Gen Z consumers have made changes to their behavior to be more sustainable in their daily lives
- 58% of consumers care more about the durability of clothes now than they did before the pandemic
- 33% of UK consumers engage in upcycling or customizing their old clothes
- 40% of consumers consider the resale value of a garment before buying it new
- 75% of consumers are willing to part with their garments if a collection service is offered by the brand
- Over 50% of consumers say they have bought upcycled products specifically to reduce their environmental impact
- On Depop 90% of active users are under the age of 26 driving the youth upcycling trend
- 45% of consumers are interested in learning how to repair their own clothes
- 27% of shoppers say they try to prolong the life of their clothes by washing them less often
- 72% of consumers said they would recommend a brand that supports charity or environmental causes like upcycling
- Consumer Google searches for 'clothing repair' reached a 10-year high in 2022
- 1 in 3 consumers say they would feel prouder to wear second-hand/upcycled clothing than new clothing
- 60% of millennials say they shop secondhand to find unique or one-of-a-kind items
- 43% of consumers prefer to buy from brands that have a take-back or recycling program
Interpretation
The data show that Gen Z and millennials are turning secondhand, repair and upcycled credentials into the new designer label—rising searches, resale-minded buying, and willingness to pay or return garments are forcing brands to embrace durability and take-back programs or risk being left behind.
Environmental Benefits & Solutions
- Extending the life of clothing by just nine months of active use would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by 20-30% each
- Buying used instead of new reduces a garment's carbon footprint by 82%
- Upcycling 1kg of reused cotton can save 20,000 liters of water
- Reparation and reuse can prevent 15 to 20% of global fashion waste
- Every ton of discarded textiles reused saves 20 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere
- Upcycling deadstock saves an average of 14,000 liters of water per jacket compared to virgin production
- Replacing one new pair of jeans with a second-hand pair saves 674 gallons of water
- Using recycled polyester (rPET) in upcycling results in 79% less carbon emissions than virgin polyester
- Circular models in fashion could reduce the industry's greenhouse gas emissions by 1.1 billion metric tons by 2030
- Upcycling avoids the use of approximately 70 million barrels of oil used each year to make polyester fiber
- The reuse of 1 tonne of cotton clothing uses only 2.6% of the energy required to manufacture it from new materials
- Remanufacturing clothing can reduce chemical usage index by 50% compared to virgin manufacturing
- Buying a used item replaces the production of a new one 65% of the time
- Organic cotton upcycling reduces global warming potential by 46% vs conventional cotton
- Mechanical recycling of cotton into upcycled yarns saves 97.6% of water consumption relative to virgin cotton
- Secondhand shopping displaces nearly 1 billion new clothing purchases in 2021
- Upcycling textiles eliminates the need for dyeing which is responsible for 20% of global industrial water pollution
- Closed-loop recycling can reduce land use for fiber production by up to 90%
- Extending the average life of clothes by 33% could lower the water footprint by 27%
- If everyone bought one utilized item instead of new this year it would save 449 million lbs of waste
Interpretation
Give your clothes a second act and the planet a fighting chance, because wearing garments just nine months longer, buying used, and upcycling can cut carbon, water and waste footprints by roughly 20 to 30 percent or more, save billions of liters of water and millions of tons of CO2, displace nearly a billion new purchases, and dramatically reduce the oil, chemical and land demands of virgin fashion.
Industry Adoption & Supply Chain
- Only 49% of brands publish a list of their suppliers making upcycling transparency difficult
- 15% of global fashion brands have now signed the Global Fashion Agenda's 2020 commitment to circularity
- The number of brands launching their own resale platforms increased by 15x between 2018 and 2021
- 60% of fashion executives have already invested or plan to invest in closed-loop recycling next year
- Patagonia's Worn Wear program repaired over 100,000 items in a single year
- H&M collected more than 29,000 tonnes of textiles for reuse and recycling in 2019
- 95% of cotton can be recycled but scale is limited by sorting technology
- 30 large brands have committed to 100% sustainable cotton by 2025
- Zara has committed to 100% of its cotton, linen and polyester being sustainable, recycled or organic by 2025
- The H&M Foundation invested $100 million into the 'Green Machine' hydrothermal recycling technology
- Nike's 'Reuse-A-Shoe' program has processed 33 million pairs of shoes since inception
- Automated sorting technologies for textiles can process 1 fiber ton per hour enabling mass upcycling
- 80% of a product's environmental impact is determined at the design stage requiring upcycling-led design
- Levi's expects to have 100% sustainably sourced cotton and renewable energy in manufacturing by 2025
- Adidas aims to use only recycled polyester in all shoes and clothing by 2024
- Eileen Fisher's Renew program requires 800-1000 pieces of returned clothing per week to function
- 20% of retailers are planning to implement repair services in-store by 2024
- Kering Group (Gucci) has invested in Vestiaire Collective signaling luxury adoption of resale
- Automated disassembly of garments for upcycling is currently 5-10 times slower than assembly
- Over 90 leading fashion brands have committed to the Circular Fashion System Commitment
Interpretation
Fashion is finally trying to mend its ways: brands from Patagonia to Zara are scaling repairs, resale and recycled-fiber pledges as resale platforms multiply and executives push hard on sorting and closed-loop recycling, yet with only half of brands disclosing suppliers, automated disassembly still far slower than assembly and sorting capacity capping cotton recycling, the industry’s circular ambitions look more like a promising patchwork than a finished garment.
Market Growth & Economics
- The global secondhand apparel market is expected to grow 3 times faster than the global apparel market overall by 2027
- The circular fashion market is projected to reach $5.3 billion by 2023 growing at a CAGR of 10.55%
- Resale is expected to overtake fast fashion by 2029 in total market value
- The global upcycled denim products market size was valued at USD 570 million in 2020
- The Europe fashion upcycling market held a share of around 30% in the global market in 2022
- By 2030 the secondhand fashion market is predicted to be worth $84 billion in the US alone
- The global sustainable fashion market is expected to grow from $6.3 billion in 2019 to $8.2 billion in 2023
- Online second-hand shopping is set to grow 69% between 2019 and 2021
- The repair and alteration service market is part of a circular economy potential valued at $700 billion by 2030
- 62% of retail executives say their customers are already participating in resale
- The global textile recycling market size was valued at $5.02 billion in 2020
- 88% of retail executives who currently offer resale say it is driving revenue
- The luxury resale market alone was worth $24 billion in 2019
- Brands launching resale shops increased by 275% in 2021 compared to 2020
- The secondhand clothing market is projected to double in the next 5 years reaching $77 billion
- Investment in material innovation and textile recycling raised over $2 billion in 2021
- The DIY and hardware store sector saw a 5% increase in sales related to upcycling materials during the pandemic
- China's resale market is estimated to reach $185 billion by 2025
- Recommerce is growing 21 times faster than the retail apparel market over the past three years
- Rental and resale models have the potential to claim 23% of the global fashion market by 2030
Interpretation
Think of fashion's next act as a stylish recycling revolution: secondhand apparel is growing three times faster than the industry overall; online resale jumped 69 percent from 2019 to 2021; circular fashion and textile recycling now command billions, with circular fashion projected at $5.3 billion in 2023, textile recycling at $5.02 billion in 2020, and more than $2 billion invested in material innovation in 2021; brands are rushing in, resale shop launches rose 275 percent and 88 percent of retailers say resale drives revenue; recommerce has grown 21 times faster than apparel and luxury resale alone was $24 billion in 2019; China and the US are headed for huge secondhand markets of about $185 billion by 2025 and $84 billion by 2030 respectively, Europe already holds roughly 30 percent of upcycling; and with upcycled denim, repair services, rental and resale booming, resale looks set to overtake fast fashion by 2029 and could claim around 23 percent of the global market by 2030.
The Waste Crisis (The Problem)
- The fashion industry generates 92 million tons of textile waste annually
- Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new clothing globally
- The average American throws away approximately 81.5 lbs of clothes every year
- 87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is eventually incinerated or landfilled
- A rubbish truck of textiles is landfilled or incinerated every second
- Textile waste is estimated to increase by 60% by 2030
- Man-made fibers like polyester can take up to 200 years to decompose in a landfill
- In the US only 14.7% of used textiles were recycled in 2018
- Garments are worn 36% fewer times today compared to 15 years ago
- Approximately 30% of clothes produced each season are never sold (deadstock)
- 35% of all primary microplastics released into the ocean come from laundering synthetic textiles
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- Consumers buy 60% more clothing items today than they did in the year 2000
- Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally
- Up to 15% of fabric is wasted on the cutting room floor during production
- Activewear relies heavily on synthetics and has a recycling rate of less than 1%
- Burning 1kg of waste textiles creates 1.36kg of CO2
- The volume of textile waste generated in the EU is 5.8 million tonnes per year
- Synthetic fibers represent 69% of all material input for textiles leading to long-term waste issues
- Discarded clothing made of non-biodegradable fabrics releases methane as it decomposes
Interpretation
We're treating clothes like disposable confetti, buying 60% more than in 2000 and wearing items 36% less, which helps generate 92 million tons of textile waste a year, sends a truckload of textiles to landfill or incineration every second, leaves less than 1% of used clothing to be reborn as new garments while 87% of fibers are buried or burned, and floods our oceans and atmosphere with microplastics, CO2 and methane that will haunt the planet for centuries.
References
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