Preface:
Thanks to the closures due to Covid and the growing awareness, more and more people are now choosing used clothes instead of fast fashion products. They do this out of thrift and because they know how polluting an industry fashion is. This is how they want to help the Earth and how they want to reduce their ecological footprint. But now let's see specific numbers about how these have developed in recent years, and who are the most open to this kind of thinking.
♻️ The spread and impact of used clothes:
Demand for used clothing is predicted to double in the next five years. The sale of used clothes will grow much faster than any other clothing sector. This means that people will become more and more aware, and fast fashion, which is already very harmful, will increasingly fade into the background.
From now on, selling clothes online will also become easier and more common, so more and more consumers will sell on their unused clothes. A significant number of people who have never sold clothes before are open to trying it now in 2022. This also shows how much opening there is in this direction recently. People are becoming more and more aware, it is becoming more and more important for them what happens to their clothes and how much garbage they produce.
9 billion is the estimated number of barely or never worn clothing lying idle in consumers' closets! 95% of discarded clothes could easily be recycled. ♻️
People today think more consciously and are more frugal. This has become a habit caused by a new pandemic, which will probably continue in the future. During the great closures during the pandemic, consumers bought less clothes, many began to think more consciously about what they want to keep in the future. It will become more and more important to people where their clothes come from and what this is doing to our Earth. They no longer fall for advertising or manipulation, they look for themselves to see what is truly sustainable and what is just a scam.
♻️ The demand for used items is just beginning!!! It becomes a trend and an expectation at the same time, and it is also good for the Earth.
Used instead of new!
You save that much if you buy used clothes instead of new. This way you reduce your ecological footprint by 82%. You are already doing a lot for the environment!
📈 In the last decade
6.65 billion articles of clothing were re-circulated through the second-hand clothing market.
52 billion kg of CO 2 emissions were recovered, which was avoided by buying used clothing instead of new clothing.
❓ Who are the most open to used clothes?
Buyers plan to spend more on used than in any other category!
Members of Generation Z are the most open to this. Most of them say they will buy more used cars in the next five years. 45% say they are not willing to buy from unsustainable brands.
The second-hand clothing market is expected to be twice as large as fast fashion by 2030.
🚻 The new way of thinking of Generation Z - Circular fashion
The next generation of customers has more rounded fashion habits. Instead of being disposable, reusability is the most important thing for them. According to Generation Z, ownership of clothes is temporary. The clothes do not belong to them forever, they are not the only users, but they imagine this in a cycle, where several people wear the same clothes and use them again and again. For example, these are clothes made from recycled materials, which are actually newly made clothes, but their material is made from recycled fabric.
To meet the government's climate goals, fashion must become circular. 70% of the fashion industry's greenhouse gases come from activities at the beginning of the production chain, such as cotton growing or fabric production. Disposable fashion perpetuates the problem, as the average consumer discards clothes after only 7-8 wears. Extending the life of clothes takes textiles out of landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions used in clothing production. Buying a used garment replaces the need to manufacture a new garment, reducing carbon emissions by 82%.
💓 Experience
But sustainability is not the only positive aspect of second-hand clothes, but also the experience of finding a real vintage treasure. This provides the thrill of surprise that customers love. They are primarily motivated by environmental protection, but the unique experience of selection is also important to them. Half of people prefer places where they have the exciting experience of not knowing what they will find.