Charity shops "pollute five times less" than Vinted, according to an Oxfam report

Paris - "Not all second-hand models are created equal." A report from the NGO Oxfam, published on Thursday, states that charity shops, commercial second-hand stores and platforms like Vinted have neither "the same objectives" nor "the same impacts".

For five kilograms of clothing introduced into each of these channels, the carbon footprint differs: 0.6 kg of CO2 in the first case, 2.9 kg in the second, and 3.1 kg for the last.

This was quantified through modelling by the consultancy RDC Environnement for the British NGO Oxfam, which operates eight charity shops in France. The NGO, basing its view on this study by the independent consultancy, believes that different models "with sometimes opposing objectives" lie behind the term "second-hand". The consultancy also works in France for Ademe (the French Agency for Ecological Transition).

According to Oxfam, the charity shop network locally manages the different stages of sorting, collection and resale. In contrast, for-profit second-hand stores import their clothes in large numbers from abroad. This comes with an associated environmental cost, particularly in terms of transport.

Eloïse Bazin, advocacy officer at Oxfam France, explained during a press presentation that digital peer-to-peer resale platforms "multiply packaging and transport methods" by sending small parcels.

Furthermore, the price of a garment differs between the non-profit and for-profit sectors. The Oxfam report estimates an average price of 3.40 euros in a charity shop compared to 16.70 euros elsewhere. Above all, the NGO believes the objectives pursued are not equal.

Overconsumption

Oxfam, Emmaüs, Le Relais and the Red Cross seek to promote the reuse of clothing. They also aim for the social integration of vulnerable people by employing them in their shops. For commercial players, however, the goal is to make a profit. Major fashion brands are also getting involved by opening dedicated second-hand sections in their stores and issuing a voucher for each used garment returned. "They have conducted marketing studies that show people always buy more than the value of the voucher," denounces Cécile Duflot, general director of Oxfam France.

According to the report, the business model of digital platforms "relies less on reducing consumption than on intensifying exchanges". It uses a system of "personalised recommendations; alerts; favourites; one-click purchases; and constant renewal of the offer". This system reproduces "the mechanisms of traditional e-commerce".

France is fertile ground for the for-profit second-hand market. It is one of the two largest markets for Vinted, as Adam Jay, one of its senior executives, revealed to AFP in 2024. According to Duflot, this "European exception" can be explained by the less extensive network of charity shops in France. In the UK, for example, "charity shops" are very well-established and benefit from tax exemptions.

Second-hand fashion "is a good solution if it replaces a new purchase, but otherwise, it doesn't address the problem of overconsumption," warns Bazin. In any case, it is gaining ground in France, having increased by 4.8 percent in volume between 2024 and 2025, according to the eco-organisation Refashion. It now represents 7 percent of textile purchases.

Oxfam warns that "the for-profit sector is taking up more and more space" in parallel, with six out of ten second-hand garments being sold in these markets.