$393B
Projected global secondhand apparel market by 2030
GlobalData projects the market will grow twice as fast as the overall apparel market.
ThredUp and GlobalData, April 2, 2026Reference desk
Vintage & textile reuse statistics
Current numbers for writers, researchers and collectors looking at the secondhand market, clothing reuse and textile waste. Each figure links straight to its source.
Last updated October 6, 2026
The market
02Secondhand is a serious part of the apparel economy.
These are market projections, not sales totals. They come from GlobalData research published with ThredUp’s 2026 Resale Report.
$78.8B
Projected U.S. secondhand market by 2030
The forecast reflects a large, fragmented market where thoughtful curation still matters.
ThredUp and GlobalData, April 2, 202671%
Of projected market growth tied to Gen Z and Millennials
The report attributes 71% of all market growth through 2030 to these two generations.
ThredUp and GlobalData, April 2, 2026The material story
03Reuse sits upstream of a very large waste stream.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent national textile figures cover 2018 municipal solid waste. The agency notes that reuse is not included in these end-of-life estimates.
17M
Tons of textiles generated in U.S. municipal waste
Textiles represented 5.8% of all municipal solid waste generated in 2018.
U.S. EPA, 2018 data14.7%
Textile recycling rate in the United States
That equals 2.5 million tons of textiles recycled in 2018.
U.S. EPA, 2018 data11.3M
Tons of textiles sent to U.S. landfills
Textiles made up 7.7% of all material landfilled in 2018.
U.S. EPA, 2018 data12.6M
Tonnes of textile waste generated in the EU
The European Commission’s assessment reports this total for 2019, including clothing, footwear and other textiles.
European Commission, 2019 dataA useful distinction
Buying secondhand does not erase the waste problem. It gives a good piece more time to matter.
Market forecasts describe where people may spend. Waste figures describe what reaches the end of its useful life. Neither turns every vintage purchase into a neat environmental calculation. Together, they show why careful selection, honest condition notes and a longer life for well-made objects remain worth paying attention to.
Method & sources
04How to use these figures.
This page selects a small number of citable figures from primary government reporting and a named market-research study. Market figures are forecasts and should be described as projections. Waste figures are historical measurements and retain the source year beside the number.
- ThredUp, 2026 Resale Report news release , published April 2, 2026. Market sizing and consumer research were conducted by GlobalData, including a January to February 2026 survey of 3,268 U.S. adults.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data . National municipal solid-waste figures for 2018.
- European Commission, executive summary of the Waste Framework Directive impact assessment , July 2023. EU textile-waste figures for 2019.
Cite this page
Wild Side Finds. “Vintage & Textile Reuse Statistics.” Updated October 6, 2026. https://wildsidefinds.com/vintage-resale-statistics/