Heads up, we use cookies to optimise our website.

Understanding Secondhand Fashion's Impact

Buyer Tips

UNDERSTANDING SECONDHAND FASHION & ITS IMPACT

If you’re interested in knowing more about the impact of secondhand fashion, we’re here to tell you all about it. In our latest FAQ, we cover the big topics and issues to try to make it easier for you to understand how small choices can affect the big picture. We'll be answering questions like "is shopping secondhand better for the environment?" "How can I dress sustainably?" and "How can buying clothes change fashion’s impact on the environment." We break down five key questions and answers to help you better understand secondhand fashion in the FAQ below. Read on to learn about how you can be part of shaping a new fashion system that’s kinder to people and to the planet.

Read the FAQ

Shopping Secondhand & the Environment

There’s no perfect solution to buying clothes more sustainably. Learning about the impact of our shopping choices is the first step. The fashion industry contributes up to 10% of global carbon emissions (Source: The World Bank) – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. On the other hand, extending the life of a piece of clothing by an extra 9 months reduces its carbon, waste and water footprint by 20-30% (Source: LoveYourClothes) – which means shopping more mindfully and buying secondhand is one of the best ways we can reduce fashion’s impact on the environment.

benefits of secondhand fashion

The Benefits of Buying Secondhand Clothing

One of the easiest ways to try to reduce fashion's impact on the environment is to make the mindful choice to shop secondhand. Justine Porterie, Depop's Global Head of Sustainability explains:

By shopping secondhand, you’re helping prevent the mass discarding of clothing – and often supporting a social cause or a small business in the process. We all need to rethink how we shop – and shop differently – to drive the large-scale change the fashion industry needs.

Justine Porterie, Depop's Global Head of Sustainability

Changing the Fashion System with Secondhand Clothes shopping

Without the limitations of shop floors, Depop makes secondhand fashion more accessible for everyone. We’re part of a secondhand fashion movement on a global scale – and we work alongside others in our ecosystem to encourage everyone to buy and sell secondhand. We partner with brands like GANNI, Adidas and Benetton to create and promote reworked, vintage or more responsibly manufactured lines. Lots of charities have their own shops on Depop too, so they can reach a larger demographic with a wider offering than they can on their shop floors. This helps them with their primary goal – to raise money for important social causes. So your shopping can have a wider social impact as well.

For more detailed information on the benefits of shopping secondhand, and understanding secondhand fashion's broader impact, read our detailed FAQs document now. 

 

 

EXPLORE MORE