A scaling of fashion resale requires traceability of individual garments and technology for locating and disseminating one-offs on the secondary market, as well as a deeper understanding of value creation and market mechanisms. This project aims at aligning and validating state-of-art of blockchain and IoT technology, as well as investigating user behaviour and economic flows on the current resale market.

The effective use of blockchain, IoT and integration into existing systems requires significant technological knowledge, making the transition into using blockchain hard for small and medium sized enterprises.

Furthermore, resale is contradicting current linear trend- and seasonal logics of the fashion sector which is one of the primary barriers for scaling of resale and take-back schemes both in terms of mindset and logistics.

By being proactive Danish companies can lead the development of solutions that incorporate Danish and European preferences into the standardization process rather than being subjected to the systems of Chinese or American companies or the global Internet giants such as Amazon or Alibaba. DK currently has a stronghold of resale in EU as 9% of DK clothing purchases are resale against 5% in other EU countries. The resale market is immature globally but is estimated to take over fast fashion by 2030. DK could be lead in this through clever implementation of IoT and blockchain technology combined with deep consumer- and market insights. Digital prototypes created with blockchain and IoT technology can decouple resources in the design phase which can save 10-20% textile waste during production. Tracking devices can help inform valid LCA measurements and design practices for longevity and can thereby support legislation and policy making for circularity of the fashion market, currently the most linear sector in the world due to the prevalent trends- and seasonal mindset. Scaling of resale can push for longer use phases of clothing which is vital to ensure climate goals.

Resale is estimated to generate $64B by 2024 and is the only viable way of reducing waste of clothing, pushing for better quality garments, and reducing poor quality textile waste.

Participating partners: Alexandre Instituttet, Copenhagen Business School, Lifestyle & Design Cluster, Ganni, Continued Fashion, Create2Stay, By Green Cotton, Soulland, ReShopper, Textile Pioneers, Wehlers and Son of a Tailor

A 70-year-old pioneer in digital fashion platforms, who has dedicated his career to making fashion accessible, collaborative, and sustainable. As a visionary Digital Fashion Platform Developer, Javier reflects on how technology has transformed fashion into a shared resource rather than something to own. Looking back from 2050, he shares his hopes for a future where circular fashion thrives, and every garment can touch countless lives.

A 66-year-old Fashion Educator and Workshop Facilitator dedicated to transforming how we connect with our clothing.  Known for her colorful style and passion for sustainability, Priya has spent her career teaching people to repair, upcycle, and personalize their wardrobes. Reflecting from the year 2050, Priya shares her journey of empowering individuals to move from fast-fashion consumers to proud creators and caretakers of their garments. Her hope? That future generations continue this tradition of valuing, nurturing, and cherishing fashion.

A 68-year-old Sustainability Manager and a true pioneer in circular fashion. With decades of experience, Anika has dedicated her career to eliminating waste by creating systems that ensure every garment is tracked, repurposed, or recycled. Looking back from the year 2050, Anika shares her vision of a world where landfills are relics and fashion is designed for endless cycles. Her hope? That the next generation finds beauty in sustainability and continues the journey toward a fully circular future. 

We are excited to present our podcast series about the resale market and the latest technologies in the fashion industry. You will meet experts from the TRACE project, who, together with leading companies like Samsøe Samsøe, NN07, Bestseller, Soulland, Continued, and By Green Cotton, explore how resale can extend the lifecycle of garments and enhance sustainability. They address three issues 

Podcast 01: What is resale, and what challenges and opportunities exist?  Hvad er gensalg - udfordringer og modsigelser i bæredygtig mode 

Podcast 02: How to implement resale in practice?  Hvordan Praktiseres Gensalg? Strategier og Udfordringer 

TRACE 03: The role of technology in the resale market and the importance of data.  Teknologiens rolle i modebranchen og gensalgsmarkedet 

The podcast is in Danish and is funded by TRACE, supported by EU and Innovation Fund Denmark and developed in collaboration with Lifestyle & Design Cluster., Copenhagen Business School, the Royal Danish Academy, and the Alexandra Institute.  

Enhancing brand transparency through blockchain and internet of things.

Many products falsely claiming to be sustainable, two digital technologies, blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT), emerge as promising enablers to enhance supply chain transparency and share detailed information with customers. Author: Lotta Moll & Caspar Müller Lütke 

How digital twin technology is fighting counterfeit Products.

Brands can preemptively adopt digital twin technology to protect intellectual property and promote sustainability and foster data driven decision making. Author: Felix Prieto Gesner 

Digital Twins for Circularity.

Because it supports circular models by enabling virtual prototyping, tracking, and reducing resource use. Education Case Digital Twins For Circularity  Author: Louisa Brügmann & Caroline Bieser and find their highligths here

See presentation 

Empowering small-to-medium sized businesses with blockchain.

A guide to sustainable innovation.  Author Author: Louise Ottesen 

Research 

How will Blockchain look if the industry came together in a solution? 

What is a digital twin of a physical product – how does it link to the digital product passport? 

Overview IoT, Blockchain & Resale market for the lifestyle industryevelopment-in-iot_report.pdf  

Use-case 

Listen to Morten from Fritz Hansen and Kim from Textil pioneers explore how they has worked with technology for transparency and traceability

20 inspiring use cases show how different companies have integrated resale in their strategies.

Research

Industry Standards For A Global Supply Chain. A PARADOX OF STANDARDS? A Reflection on Industry standards for the global supply chain in the context of Fashion Industry, After Sales Markets, and DIGITAL TWINS, Product Passports. 

Unlocking the Future of Fashion through Data & Collaboration Standardizing Data for a Brighter Future: Uncover the roles and contributions of Gaia-X in shaping industry processes 

Educational cases

The cooperative movement for a transperent industry. This article summarizes the findings of a study that investigated how an industry-wide blockchain solution in the fashion- and textile industry should be governed. Author: Magnus Espensen & Sebastian

Use-case

Listen to Delouge share how they work with data to empower the design, the fashion brand and their supplychain

Listen to Reshopper share how their successful c2c resale platform relies on data and what oppotynities they have to share with brands so they can learn from data and how their brand perform in the resale market 

(CBS/AI) Trends in the reseller market. Why does the market react as it does? By utilizing data from current reseller platforms, it will be possible examine what mechanism powers this market. Benchmark data from the reseller market with data from the production of fashion. What data is needed in the first place, from upstream market to empower the downstream market.

Research

From consumer habits to new tech: how to harness resale. This article explores recent research based on a systematic literature review on consumer behaviour in the global resale market, identifying key motivators and barriers  

Data, data analytics and AI. Leveraging Data and AI in the Danish Clothing Resale Market Author: Nikolaj Viktor Brøchner Pettersson & Jakob Appelby Henriksen

WP 3 Resale markets, which trends and mechanisms drive the market 

WP 3 Alexandra Inst AI For Resale

Use-case

Sassylab and pureplayer in resale. They are sharing how their business model works, how to partner with a realse platform and how they see the ustomers nagivating this space 

Create2stay is a platform that supports brands in doing branded resale. They are sharing how brands can get started on resale and what benefits the brands will gain. 

Research

4 Value Creation In Secondary Markets 

Article by Mette Dalgaard Nielsen, Ph.d.-stipendiat at the Royal Academy: Does Resale Extend the Use Phase of Garments?Exploring Longevity on the Fashion Resale Market 

Does resale extend the use phase of garments? Article published in Intellect Discover published by International Journal of Sustainable Fashion & Textiles, Volume 3, Issue The Future of Sustainable Clothing Use Practice. 

Articles on resale and sustainability by Mette Dalgaard Nielsen 

Gensalg og genbrug af tøj bulder derudad. Publication by Branchebladet TØJ 

Vi bruger rekordmange penge på genbrugstøj, men køber ikke mindre nyt af den grund. Publication by Kristlig Dagblad

Ph.d. i design og bæredygtighed: Det er vildledende at omtale genbrugstøj som en del af problemet 

Use-case

Is your product worth circulating? Konges Sljød beleifs so and so does the data from the resale market. Listen to their brand story 

The volunteer sector collabotation is working hard on support 60 brands in making the transition to circular business models. 

Do you know what happens to clothes after the point of sale?  Blockchain and Internet of Things can boost resale practices in the textile and clothes industry read the article. Author: Lotta Moll & Caspar Müller Lütken or see the presentation 

What is the true story behind your clothes? Can a textil product tell a story? How can textil and clothing companies navigate the Digital Product Passport maze? This article will share inspiration and ideas for textile & clothing organizations.  Author: Annabel Kathrin Kläre & Carl Emil Derby Hansen

Enhancing brand transparency through blockchain and internet of things. many products falsely claiming to be sustainable, two digital technologies, blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT), emerge as promising enablers to enhance supply chain transparency and share detailed information with customers Author: Lotta Moll & Caspar Müller Lütke

We are excited to introduce this paper from the project ‘Blockchain, IoT and Resale’ 

The paper was first presented at the PLATE conference in Helsinki June 2023 and has now been published in a special issue of the esteemed International Journal of Sustainable Fashion and Textiles,  edited by Kirsi Niinimaki Headed by the title: “Does Resale Extend the Use Phase of Garments? Exploring Longevity in the Fashion Resale Market”.

PhD. Mette Dalgaard Nielsen and Associate Professor, PhD. Else Skjold from the Royal Danish Academy have asked the question whether resale extends the lifetime of garments or not.

Through a ‘follow-the-garment’ netnographic approach that locates in-and-out flow of reseller wardrobes and resale platforms, the study analyses selected resale mechanisms that hinder or promote longer lifetimes of garments. The conclusion shows that resale does not in itself extend garment lifetime, but that it has huge potentials for doing so given the right circumstances.
Several Danish fashion brands and resale platforms are involved in the study, amongst these Baum und Pferdgarten and Ganni A/S.