Having worked closely with Depop, eBay, Finisterre and more, WRAP calculated that the average displacement rate for repair is high at 82.2% and 64.6% for resale. Despite this, the UK was found to be the fourth highest consumer of clothing after the USA, China and India.
Harriet Lamb, WRAP CEO, said: “Our research shows that buying preloved both satisfies our desire for clothes, for something new-to-us, and means we don’t buy so many brand-new items. What’s more, we can now clearly and consistently measure the environmental case for a range of circular business models including repair – for the first time. I encourage companies to adopt this new technique – customers are looking to them for new services like repair and renting.”
Redistribution and rental
WRAP is now calling on companies to adopt the new standardised way to measure resale and repair, suggesting that the same method used in the report could be applied to redistribution and rental, both in and outside of the UK.
Amy Brock-Morgan, head of lived and loved repairs, Finisterre, said: “I have worked in repair for over seven years and the industry has rapidly changed in this time. It is fundamental WRAP has captured this tangible data to quantitively back up the progressive nature of repair. The industry and brands can now start to build on this influential knowledge to shape future strategy and engagement. I am excited to bring this data back to our Finisterre community and continue threading the needle and patching up our customers kit ready for their next adventure – creating a wave of change.”
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