The second-hand apparel market is redefining the future of fashion. With projections that the market will double in size within the next five years, apparel organizations are looking for opportunities to get in on the action.
Behind the growth of the market is a powerful shift: consumers aren’t just buying based on style or price.
Younger generations are considerably more environmentally conscious in purchasing decisions than ever before, with 64% of Gen Z willing to spend more for a product to be sustainable.
And beyond environmental responsibility, consumers are considering how they themselves can profit off of their apparel investments. One in three consumers now say they consider resale value when buying new clothing, and luxury resale has reshaped how both brands and shoppers perceive ownership.
For apparel teams, resale is a business opportunity. But to take part in it, compliance and traceability aren’t optional. They’re the foundation.
At first glance, regulatory compliance and resale might seem unrelated. One keeps brands aligned with policy; the other expands revenue channels. Yet the two are tightly connected through traceability.
When garments are traceable from raw material to purchase (and even throughout the resale process), consumers and resale buyers can verify the origin of the product.
The digital product passport (DPP) is how brands can make product-level data available easily for consumers.
Each DPP acts as a verified digital identity for a garment, containing data about origin, materials, production methods, and care instructions. Once attached to a physical label, that information travels with the item throughout its lifecycle.
And in the EU, the DPP is becoming non-optional. Regulations are emerging requiring brands to bridge the gap between the supply chain and consumers with the DPP. But by capturing and sharing this data, the DPP turns compliance requirements into commercial infrastructure.
The same traceability systems that meet compliance standards also make it possible to:
In this way, the DPP was built not only for compliance, but for circular value creation.
Brands globally are becoming required to prove product traceability and sustainability performance. For some, that feels like a cost center. But for forward-thinking apparel teams, it’s a way to enter the $367 billion resale economy with credibility.
When your products carry a Digital Product Passport that verifies authenticity and environmental responsibility, you:
ThredUp’s 2025 data shows that more than 60% of retail executives say resale programs will be a standard offering within five years. In other words, the question isn’t if your brand will need to engage in circular commerce. It’s how soon.
Charming’s DPP solution helps brands build that bridge with confidence. By integrating digital labels powered by Tappr, we make it possible to collect and share verified product information at every stage, from manufacturing to aftermarket.
Here’s how it works:
Because the DPP stays with the garment, each interaction adds to its story and sustains its value, supporting both regulatory compliance and business innovation. Charming and Tappr make that path practical through DPP solutions that simplify data collection, enhance label durability, and enable real-world circular commerce.
Our experts can walk you through how a DPP program supports both regulatory readiness and new revenue streams. Together, we can build a framework that helps your brand take part in the second-hand economy with confidence, compliance, and credibility.