The Realities We Work In.
Every year, Europe discards more clothing than it buys second-hand. At Looper, we confront that paradox daily—working to keep textiles in use for as long as possible, balancing the trade-offs of local reuse, global resale, recycling gaps, and the need for transparency.
Why Giving Clothes a Second Life Matters Most
Every year, consumers in Europe throw away more clothes than they buy second-hand. That gap between what’s discarded and what’s reused is exactly where Looper steps in—finding new wearers for textiles, and keeping garments in use for as long as possible.
But doing so raises a paradox: how do we balance the need to find a home for every garment with the kilometres it may need to travel?
Why Reuse Comes First, Even When Textiles Travel?
Reusing clothes is one of the most immediate and effective ways to reduce fashion’s footprint. Studies show that extending the life of a cotton T-shirt can save 2–3 kg of CO₂ equivalent emissions. Local reuse—keeping a garment in the same country—has the lowest footprint. But even when textiles are exported, transport is just a small fraction of the impact compared to the carbon saved by avoiding new production.
In line with the EU Waste Hierarchy, reuse is prioritized whenever possible. And the gap between what’s discarded in Europe and what’s reused drives us to seek businesses globally for the second-hand clothes we collect—resellers who know what their communities want and can give textiles a second life.
Beyond Perception: Textile to Textile Recycling is Not Yet Feasible At Scale
For many people, recycling feels like the “ready-made” option for all textiles. In reality, textile recycling globally is still underserved and the technologies needed to execute textile-to-textile recycling at scale are still developing.
Sorting for recycling isn’t profitable on its own. As such, the industry lacks demand for recycling feedstock, a complicated arena where more parties in the textile industry need to come together for our efforts to add up overtime.
What We Know, What We Don’t
It’s true: today, no one can track tens of millions of garments piece by piece to the individual who wears them. But that doesn’t mean we work in the dark.
We map our sales by type, quality, and destination. We know what leaves our hands, where it’s headed, and for what purpose. On-the-ground deep dives—in places like Togo, Ukraine, or Côte d’Ivoire—help us see how garments are actually used, and where we can improve.
Our Responsibility
This space is complex, and far from perfect. But complexity is not a reason for us to stand aside. We choose to take part—from within—by learning, adapting, and driving better solutions for textiles.
Our responsibility is clear:
Keep textiles in use whenever possible.
Support innovation to make recycling scalable.
Build transparency into how textiles move, and where they end up.
Every choice we make moves us closer to a system where textiles never become waste. And every garment that finds a second life gets us one step closer.
What You Can Do
Bring your clothes to responsible collection points. Choose second-hand when you can. And remember: reuse is not just a stopgap—it’s one of the strongest actions we can take today.