Redress Study Explores Consumer Behaviours and Perceptions on Secondhand Fashion

Through the Takeback Programme, Redress invites consumers to extend the life of their clothing with convenient drop-off locations, detailed sorting, and transparency around the whole process. With the programme expanding and more retailers interested in exploring takeback as a step in their circularity journey, we set out to gather information about the landscape in Hong Kong regarding consumer and retailer views on the reuse and resale of postconsumer clothing.

From May 2021, Redress worked with global insights and advisory consultancy GlobeScan to research takeback and secondhand service offerings among retailers in Hong Kong, as well as consumers’ behaviours and perceptions of such services. The study also summarised key opportunities and challenges for circular retail services in Hong Kong, and advised potential strategic directions for Redress to extend its activities.

Data collection included a quantitative online survey of 1,000 general consumers in Hong Kong, along with a qualitative study with in-depth interviews conducted with seven retailers with a presence in Hong Kong, which included a mix of major luxury and high-street brands.

Among the key findings of the study were that:

  • Half of the participants had purchased secondhand in the past.

  • Two-thirds of those surveyed were likely to purchase secondhand in the future. 

  • Nine out of ten consumers frequently dropped their unwanted clothing into clothing collection bins, with government-owned public collection bins being the most frequently used. 

  • The biggest barrier for consumers to consider buying secondhand was potential hygiene-related issues.

The findings help inform future focus areas of Redress’s research and programme work, such as identifying ways to engage with consumers who have not yet embraced giving away unwanted clothing or purchasing secondhand clothing.

GlobeScan’s reporting of these insights and more offers a peek into the potential of circular fashion in Hong Kong — with Redress ready to lead the way forward.