The considered edit, by the numbers
Clear, citable facts on resale, textile waste, and the case for giving great pieces a longer life. Updated September 28, 2026.
At a glance
Secondhand shopping is not a clean slate for the fashion industry, and a good statistic should not pretend it is. What it can do is make the scale of resale, consumption, and textile waste easier to understand, then make room for a more thoughtful way to buy.
$393B
ThredUp’s 2026 report, based on GlobalData market modeling, projects the worldwide market at $393 billion by 2030, growing twice as fast as overall apparel.
Source: ThredUp Resale Report, April 2026 ↗$78.8B
GlobalData’s estimate in the 2026 ThredUp report puts the U.S. secondhand market at $78.8 billion by the end of the decade.
Source: ThredUp Resale Report, April 2026 ↗71%
The report estimates that Gen Z and Millennials will account for 71% of secondhand market growth through 2030.
Source: ThredUp Resale Report, April 2026 ↗Nearly 50%
Nearly half of shoppers surveyed said social media, creators, and influencer feeds are where they discover their next secondhand find, rather than traditional search.
Source: ThredUp Resale Report, April 2026 ↗17M tons
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates textiles represented 5.8% of municipal solid-waste generation that year. This measure excludes textiles that were reused before disposal.
Source: U.S. EPA, 2018 data ↗14.7%
EPA reports 2.5 million tons of textiles recycled, while 11.3 million tons were sent to landfills in the same year.
Source: U.S. EPA, 2018 data ↗2–8%
UN Environment Programme reports that the textile industry produces an estimated 2% to 8% of global greenhouse-gas emissions each year.
Source: UN Environment Programme, 2025 ↗19 kg
The European Environment Agency estimates this amount of clothing, footwear, and household textiles was consumed per person, up from 17 kg in 2019.
Source: European Environment Agency, 2025 publication using 2022 data ↗Under 15%
The EEA reports that about 6.94 million tonnes of textile waste were generated in EU Member States, with the remainder largely entering mixed household waste.
Source: European Environment Agency, 2025 publication using 2022 data ↗What these numbers do, and do not, say
These figures describe a broad textile and apparel system, not the impact of any individual handbag. They do show why quality, condition, and longevity matter. A piece that is chosen carefully, carried often, and passed on thoughtfully stays in the conversation longer than one bought for a moment and forgotten.
That is the principle behind Handbag Hannah’s pre-loved edit: fewer maybes, more bags with real character and a real reason to be carried again.
Explore pre-loved handbags →Methodology & sources
This page uses named public sources, favors primary public bodies where possible, and labels projections as projections. It was last reviewed on September 28, 2026.
Cite this page
Handbag Hannah. “Pre-Loved Fashion Statistics: Resale & Textile Waste Facts.” Updated September 28, 2026. https://handbaghannah.com/pre-loved-fashion-statistics