Gap partners with ThredUp for second-hand clothing drive

By

Robin Driver

Published
Feb 21, 2020

San Francisco-based apparel group Gap, Inc. has teamed up with ThredUp, the world’s largest fashion resale platform, to encourage consumers to participate in the circular economy, becoming a partner in its Resale-as-a-Service (RAAS) program.

Through the new deal, Gap becomes the largest Clean Out partner in ThredUp’s RAAS program, allowing customers to exchange their secondhand clothes on the resale platform for shopping credit that can be redeemed at Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, and Janie and Jack stores.
 
As an added incentive, ThredUp customers who choose to redeem their credits at one of the Gap-owned stores mentioned above will receive an additional 15% payout bonus.

From April onwards, selected Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, and Janie and Jack locations in the U.S. will also make ThredUp Clean Out bags available in store, providing customers with an easy way to send their used clothes to the platform. This will be the largest distribution of the bags in ThredUp’s RAAS program to date.
 
“As the resale revolution continues to gain momentum, participating in re-commerce is not only good for our planet, but good for business,” commented Mark Breitbard, president of specialty brands at Gap. “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.”
 
The partnership is part of Gap’s wider commitment to sustainability, which involves working towards diverting more than 30 million pounds of material from landfill annually, optimizing packaging and supporting industry-wide change.
 
The company currently diverts almost 50% of the waste generated by its North American facilities from landfill.