In a world dominated by quick trend giants, the place $10 sneakers and viral “hauls” fill social feeds, the resale motion is gaining traction on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers from each events are coming collectively to advertise a extra sustainable, round method to buying—one that might reshape the American retail panorama and assist the planet within the course of.
Representatives Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D., Calif.) and Nicole Malliotakis (R., N.Y.) are formally launching the bipartisan Recommerce Caucus. Their mission: to advertise the rising recommerce economic system.
Becoming a member of Kamlager-Dove and Malliotakis are representatives Kevin Mullin (D., Calif.), Hillary Scholten (D., Mich.), and Brittany Pettersen (D., Colo.), forming a coalition that goals to:
- Lengthen the life cycle of merchandise
- Cut back landfill waste
- Encourage environmentally accountable commerce
- Assist small sellers and entrepreneurs on digital platforms
- Promote entry to in style resale apps
Tax Aid and Round Enterprise Incentives
Kamlager-Dove is especially targeted on decreasing gross sales tax for secondhand objects and providing tax credit to firms that undertake round enterprise fashions. “Why not do one thing that’s good for trend, good for the economic system and good for the atmosphere?” she asks—a sentiment that resonates with each eco-conscious buyers and small enterprise house owners.
Malliotakis, in the meantime, highlights the necessity to reduce crimson tape for small companies and resellers, deal with counterfeiting, and cut back waste. “It’s sustainable, it helps the atmosphere, there’s much less trash and also you make any individual else glad,” she explains.
Why Now?
This legislative push comes at a time when tariffs on imported items are disrupting provide chains and driving up prices for retailers and customers alike. In consequence, American customers are pondering extra critically about the place their items come from and the way a lot they’re keen to pay for brand spanking new versus secondhand objects.
A latest report discovered that 54% of retail executives see resale as a extra secure supply of clothes amid tariff turmoil. Rachel Kibbe, CEO of American Round Textiles, notes, “At a time when customers are price-sensitive and looking for extra reasonably priced, sustainable choices, recommerce affords crucial entry—not solely to earnings, however to high quality items at decrease prices”.
Sustainability By means of Secondhand
U.S. landfills are stuffed with discarded clothes, which, because it breaks down, releases greenhouse gases and poisonous “ceaselessly chemical substances.” The carbon footprint of manufacturing new clothes—from sourcing supplies to manufacturing and international transport—is even greater.
Consultants estimate that if each secondhand merchandise bought changed the necessity for a brand new one, it might cut back total manufacturing by practically 8% by 2027 and reduce annual carbon emissions by 15-16% by 2040. Every reused garment can add 2.2 years to its life and cut back water, carbon, and waste footprints by as a lot as 73% in comparison with producing new clothes.
“At present we’ve sufficient clothes on the planet to dress the following six generations of people with out making something extra,” says Rachel Mednick, a sustainable trend educator. The problem is making it simpler for firms to supply pure fibers and shift their provide chains—a course of that takes time and sources.
The Booming Enterprise of Secondhand
Secondhand buying isn’t simply environmentally sensible—it’s additionally grow to be a cultural phenomenon, particularly amongst Gen Z and Millennials. Youthful customers are looking for out resale apps and thrift shops in quest of distinctive, reasonably priced, and sustainable finds. In response to a latest survey, 71% of buyers aged 25-34 purchased “pre-loved items” previously 12 months.
The resale sector is booming:
- Projected to achieve $1.04 trillion globally by 2035, up from $186 billion final 12 months
- Rising 12–15% yearly, outpacing conventional retail
- Luxurious resale can be surging, with 27% of on-line luxurious attire spending now taking place on resale platforms
Discovering Worth in Sustainability
For a lot of, recommerce is about extra than simply saving cash or the atmosphere—it’s about creativity, entrepreneurship, and constructing group. As Congress turns its consideration to the recommerce economic system, the hope is that new insurance policies will empower small companies, cut back environmental influence, and provides buyers extra sustainable decisions—proving that trend, the economic system, and the atmosphere don’t should be at odds.
Because the main B2B recommerce platform, B-Inventory stands behind Congress and the business leaders who’re advocating for this recommerce motion. We’d additionally prefer to acknowledge and thank the retailers, manufacturers, and small companies who’re leveraging our platform to promote and purchase returned, extra, and trade-in stock. Each transaction on B-Inventory helps prolong product lifecycles, cut back landfill waste, and advance sustainability objectives which are more and more valued by customers, companies, and policymakers alike.
Need to perceive the present B2B recommerce panorama? Obtain B-Inventory’s report, The State of the B2B Recommerce Market- 2025.
