Resale is all the rage, but fashion brands not making a dent in unsustainable levels of waste

by Linda L. Young DESIGNER
  • Textile production has doubled over last 15 years but the time clothing is worn has dropped 40%.
  • Less than 1% of clothing is recycled, with tons dumped in countries like Ghana, Pakistan and Kenya
  • Resale, rental, repair and remaking are worth more than $73 billion, but still only account for 3.5% of the market
  • New regulation will require textile products in EU to be durable, repairable and recyclable by 2030

August 2 – Look at just about any major brand and you’ll find a commitment to move away from the make-take-waste linear economy that has defined fashion for the past 100 years and embrace a circular economy in which fashion is produced sustainably, made to last longer and repaired or recycled after use.

That’s an ambitious goal for an industry notorious for its waste. The statistics are alarming: production has doubled over the past 15 years while the amount of

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