Gap partners with resale giant ThredUp

Gap Inc. wants its customers to clean out their closets.

The retailer is partnering with resale platform ThredUp to encourage customers to turn in their used clothes in exchange for credits that can be redeemed at Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta or Janie and Jack stores. With the collaboration, Gap Inc. will be the largest retailer to participate in ThredUp’s resale-as-a-service online platform, which partners with retailers to get customers to “clean out” their closets to support the circular fashion economy which helps divert waste from landfills.

“As the resale revolution continues to gain momentum, participating in re-commerce is not only good for our planet, but good for business,” said Mark Breitbard, president, Gap Inc. Specialty Brands. “Our customers are diversifying their closets, whether with new clothing, rental pieces, or secondhand goods. We’re thrilled to partner with ThredUp in offering a sustainable and innovative way to shop for the closet of the future.”

Customers who redeem their credits at any of the Gap Inc. brands will receive an additional 15% payout bonus. Starting in April, ThredUp “clean out” bags or labels will be available to customers at select Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta and Janie and Jack stores in the U.S., providing a convenient way to send in unwanted items for consignment. This will be the largest distribution of ThredUp Clean Out bags and labels to date under the company’s RAAS platform.

According to ThredUp’s annual Resale Report, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or incinerated every second, and 56 million women bought secondhand products in 2018 – which is almost half of the entire female adult population in the U.S.

Customers who redeem their credits at Gap Inc. brands will receive an additional 15% payout bonus. Starting in April, ThredUp Clean Out bags or labels will be available to customers at select Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta and Janie and Jack stores in the US, providing a convenient way to send in unwanted items for consignment. This will be the largest distribution of ThredUp Clean Out bags and labels to date under the company’s RAAS platform.

Gap Inc. is working toward the goal of diverting more than 30 million pounds of material annually from landfills, while innovating to optimize packaging and reduce volume, lowering business costs, and supporting industry-wide change. The company currently diverts nearly 50% of waste generated from its North American facilities.