Reuse

Reuse is one of the most immediate and effective ways to keep textiles in use and out of landfills.

While it has a long history in many regions, consumers in countries throughout Europe still dispose of more clothing each year than they buy second-hand. That gap between what’s discarded 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.

We have strong relationships with business partners, from the second-hand boutiques of Italy to the marketplaces of Ivory Coast, each of which individually order the type and quantity of their desired goods.

We conduct on-the-ground “deep dives” in key markets to collaborate with local resellers and identify challenges & opportunities around improving garment end state and visibility of garment flow.

We share these stories on our website along with information about our reuse and recycling streams to increase transparency in our own operations and in our industry.

In our system, second-hand businesses are given the agency to select what they know will sell in their markets.

Our business partners don’t receive bulk, unsorted goods—they place intentional, item-specific orders. And based on buyer feedback, 4 out of 5 partners in Togo and Cote d’Ivoire reported that up to 90% of the textiles they purchase from Looper are sold directly to their customers (wholesalers & retailers). And what isn’t sold is often stored for seasonal demand or discounted during clearance sales.