79% of Americans Say They've Purchased Used Clothes

With the rise of fast fashion—a term coined in the 1990s to describe an industry shift toward cheaper, more disposable clothing—reusing, repurposing and reselling clothing has gained popularity among environmental activists and proponents of sustainability. But how much are Americans buying into that idea overall, especially given the cheap, ubiquitous convenience that fast fashion offers? In a new Adweek-Morning Consult survey, we wanted to understand how much sustainability factors into Americans' decisions about where they buy their clothing and what they do with items they no longer want. The survey, conducted last week, included 2,200 American adults and was weighted to approximate a representative sample of each relevant demographic group. The survey found that a strong majority of Americans (70%) think sustainability is at least somewhat important when deciding what to do with clothing that they no longer wear. A slightly smaller majority (65%) said sustainability is at least somewhat important when selecting what clothing they wear. Millennials most likely to buy used More than three-quarters (79%) of Americans said they've purchased used clothing at some point. Overall, one in five said they buy used clothing most of the time or always. Millennials reported consistently buying used clothing at the highest rate, with 30% saying they buy used most of the time or always. Despite the growing popularity of thrifting and secondhand clothing on Gen Z-heavy platforms like TikTok, just 18% of Gen Z respondents said they buy used clothing at least most of the time. Another 65% of Gen Z respondents said they buy used clothing rarely or sometimes. Millennials and Gen Z were closer aligned when asked about how sustainability factors into their decisions about clothing purchases overall, used or new. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of Gen Z said sustainability was at least somewhat important, and 74% of millennials said the same. That priority drops off with older age groups: 66% of Gen X and 56% of baby boomers said sustainability was at least somewhat important when choosing what clothing to wear. Donating perceived as most sustainable option for old clothes The survey also asked respondents about different ways of getting rid of old clothes, and whether or not they were seen as sustainable. More than three-quarters (79%) of respondents said they considered donating clothing or giving it away to someone else to be a (somewhat or very) sustainable option. Fewer (66%) saw using the material for another purpose as sustainable, while 59% felt selling it was sustainable and 52% considered keeping it to be a sustainable option. When asked how sustainability impacts their decision making when getting rid of old clothes, 67% said they've donated clothing and that sustainability was a factor in that decision. Fewer said sustainability was a factor when keeping clothes (54%), using clothing material for another purpose (50%) or selling old clothes (41%). Madewell Partners With thredUP to Sell Used Jeans Online

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79% of Americans Have Bought Used Clothes, With Millennials Leading the Way

In a new Adweek-Morning Consult poll, 70% of respondents say sustainability is important when deciding how to get rid of clothing

Kathryn Lundstrom

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Kathryn Lundstrom