Swap.com is an online platform where shoppers can buy and sell used clothing.

Swap.com is an online marketplace and consignment service. Users wishing to sell clothes can consign ownership of their clothing to Swap.com, and receive payment for the clothes once they have been sold. Sellers simply ship their used clothing to the Swap.com warehouse for a flat-rate fee, where the company manages marketing and logistics and stores the clothing before it is sold.

The platform maintains strict rules about what can be accepted as merchandise. For instance, clothes must be freshly cleaned, have no stains or obvious signs of wear, and all buttons and zippers must be present and in working order.

As of 2018, the platform has sold 2.2 million items of used clothing. They estimate that their CO2 emissions savings are equivalent to 280,000 km² of forest. In addition, re-selling used clothes through their site has saved around 15 billion litres of water. Their current inventory contains over 2.3 million items for sale on their website from more than 25,000 brands.

Why you should care

Americans throw out an average of 36 kilograms of clothes each year, and textiles, leather and rubber account for almost 10 percent of municipal solid waste in the US. By providing a convenient platform for people to buy and sell used clothing, Swap.com is helping to extend the lifespan of clothing. In addition, it encourages consumers to consider purchasing second hand clothing rather than new clothes.

How the Global Goals are addressed

Responsible consumption and production

Swap.com has helped to extend the lifespan of 2.3 million items of clothing, helping to reduce waste generation by promoting reuse rather than consumption of new materials.