The Textile Crisis
Ireland is the second-worst in the EU for textile waste, disposing of approximately 164,000 tonnes of clothing annually. Irish consumers purchase 53 kg of textiles per capita per year—more than double the EU average.
Disposed of annually in Ireland
Purchased by Irish consumers yearly
Goes straight to waste collection
Fast fashion vs traditional wear
The Challenge
How might we make the carbon cost of buying new clothing visible at the point of purchase and connect consumers to existing second-hand alternatives, reducing Ireland’s position as the EU’s second-highest textile waste producer?
SDG 12 Alignment
Our solution directly addresses SDG 12’s call for responsible consumption and production. The EU’s regulatory direction reinforces our timing: mandatory textile collection began January 2025, Extended Producer Responsibility schemes arrive by mid-2027, and Digital Product Passports for textiles will be required by 2027/2028.
ReThrift.app is building what regulators want to exist. By making carbon costs visible and alternatives accessible at the exact moment of purchase, we redirect consumption from linear waste toward circular reuse.
Projected Impact
Each second-hand purchase of jeans avoids 16-28 kg CO₂e—equivalent to driving 70-120 km.
If ReThrift redirects just 1% of Ireland’s fast fashion purchases to second-hand, that’s approximately 1,640 tonnes of textiles diverted from waste annually and an estimated 25,000+ tonnes of CO₂ avoided.