The global second-hand clothing market continues to grow, and these four innovations can help the fashion industry embrace a circular economy.

In 2023, global sales of secondhand clothing reached $211 billion.‍‍‍‍

Image source:Unsplash/Priscilla Du Preez

Johnny Wood

Senior Writer for the Forum Agenda

By 2024, global sales of "secondhand" clothing will account for 10% of total sales in the global fashion industry.
In recent years, rising concerns about price and sustainability, coupled with the growth of online retail, have led to a sharp increase in secondhand clothing sales.
Innovative companies on the World Economic Forum's open innovation platform, UpLink, are developing ways to advance the circular economy in the fashion industry.

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Re-Fresh collects discarded textile waste at its facility and uses machines to sort it by color and material type.

Using a patented biotechnology process, waste materials are transformed into three types of biodegradable raw materials: bioethanol, nanocellulose, and nonwoven textile pulp. These low-cost, high-volume raw materials can be applied in industries such as construction, automotive, textiles, and fashion.

These initiatives all aim to slow down the pace of fast fashion, enhance the recyclability of clothing, and make garments more sustainable. The examples above represent just a small fraction of the innovative companies featured on the World Economic Forum’s open innovation platform, UpLink.

The above content represents the author's personal views only.This article is translated from the World Economic Forum's Agenda blog; the Chinese version is for reference purposes only.Feel free to share this on WeChat Moments; please leave a comment below the post if you’d like to republish.

Translated by: Wu Yimeng | Edited by: Wang Can

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