For every five textile items repaired, four displace a new purchase – an 82.2% displacement rate – according to research by WRAP.

A new report from WRAP, produced in collaboration with resale and repair businesses and brands, shows the impact of a range of circular business models on stopping the purchase of new clothes.

The report, Displacement Rates Untangled, calculates the extent to which the rise of repair and resale can displace new sales, and how much they help offset the environmental cost of clothing.

Depop, eBay, Vestiaire Collective, The Seam, SOJO and brand Finisterre provided data for the report.

The research found that repairing one cotton t-shirt instead of buying a brand new one could save over 7.5kg CO2e.

Repairing a hole in a wool jumper instead of buying a new one could save over 16kg CO2e and repairing a rip in a waterproof jacket instead of buying a new one could save over 45kg CO2e.

WRAP, the global environmental action non-governmental organisation, also explored the impact of resale and found for every five preloved items bought, three displace new purchases – resulting in a displacement rate of 64.6%.

Buying a preloved pair of jeans online instead of buying a brand-new pair could save over 30kg CO2e, according to the report. While purchasing a second-hand pair of trainers online instead of buying a brand-new pair could save over 12kg CO2e.

Our data now quantifies the big environmental savings from preloved and repair.

Commenting on the report, Harriet Lamb, WRAP CEO, said: “There’s nothing better than finding a bargain online or in your local charity shop. Our data now quantifies the big environmental savings from preloved and repair.

“This is great news for shoppers as it shows that introducing a little circular living into your life reduces the price and the environmental price tag too.”

Using data from the six companies, WRAP said it has established benchmarks for repair and resale and developed a single methodology that can be applied by businesses.

WRAP is now calling on companies to adopt its standardised way of measuring resale and repair.

While the focus of Displacement Rates Untangled is repair and resale circular business models, the methodology could be applied to other models including redistribution and rental and applied outside the UK, WRAP said.

The report was launched at WRAP’s Textiles 2030 annual Circular Summit for signatories to the UK’s only industry-wide voluntary agreement tackling waste, water stress and emissions in the UK’s textile sector.

WRAP said it will also publish the first in a new set of Circular Living Standards later this year for Preloved clothing. 

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