All sectors are witnessing the multiplication of platforms dedicated to the resale of used products.
Reuse is a focal point of the European Commission’s new proposal for a regulation ‘Sustainable Products Initiative‘ and is among the measures listed in the National Strategy for the Circular Economy drafted by the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition.
The second hand allows the extension of the useful life of products, guiding the consumer towards the maximisation of an efficient use of resources.
Many brands from different sectors have been the standard-bearers together with independent marketplace platforms in promoting this ‘new’ as well as old mode of consumption.
Starting with the fashion industry, several brands have adopted a circular economy strategy that includes the valorisation of their second-hand products. This trend has seen both fast fashion and luxury brands as protagonists, two recent examples being Zara and Balenciaga.
Zara in November will launch a pilot project in the UK concerning a platform dedicated to the repair and resale of its garments. Balenciaga, in collaboration with a technology and logistics partner, has chosen to embark on a circularity path that includes a re-sell programme, in order to revalue its clothes.
Decathlon also launched its second-hand resale project through a major marketing action involving the signs of some shops in Belgium, renaming them ‘Nolhtaced’ (‘Decathlon’ in reverse). With the aim of reinforcing the message that from now on, the roles can also be reversed, as it will be the store itself that buys second-hand sports equipment from its customers in order to offer it back on the market.

Source and image: matrec; decathlon.be