Gap offers shoppers credit for donating resale-ready apparel

US-based retailer Gap, in partnership with fashion resale platform thredUP, has encouraged customers to turn in their secondhand clothes for shopping credits at Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta and Janie and Jack stores. Gap is the largest participant to date in thredUP’s Resale-as-a-Service (RAAS) programme, an online platform that allows retailers to support the circular fashion economy. Shoppers who redeem their credits at Gap brand stores will receive an additional 15% payout bonus. Beginning in April 2020, thredUP Clean Out bags or labels will be available at select U.S. stores to provide a convenient way to send in unwanted items for consignment. This will represent the largest distribution of the Clean Out bags and labels to date under the thredUP RAAS platform.

As many as 56 million women bought secondhand products in 2018, according to the thredUP Resale Report. In 2019 thredUP upcycled its 100 millionth item, displacing an estimated 870,000 tons of carbon dioxide — the equivalent of 74,000 trips around the world.