No, Depop is not a fast fashion brand, it is a peer-to-peer resale platform. Its core business model promotes a circular economy by extending the life of secondhand and vintage clothing. However, the platform facilitates fast fashion-like behaviors, including rapid trend turnover and the sale of new or barely-used fast fashion items.
While Depop's model is inherently more sustainable than producing new clothes, it suffers from a lack of oversight regarding the ethical origins of items sold by its users. Here's what you need to know about Depop's practices.
Depop itself does not manufacture clothing, which fundamentally separates it from fast fashion brands. However, how sellers and buyers use the platform creates a hybrid environment where sustainable practices and fast fashion trends co-exist.
Depop's ethical standing is complex because it is a marketplace, not a manufacturer. The platform's main ethical challenge is its lack of oversight and accountability for the items being sold.
Depop does not employ garment workers and therefore isn't directly responsible for factory conditions. The ethical concern lies with the original production of the clothes sold, particularly new items sourced by sellers from countries with poor labor rights records like China or Bangladesh. The labor conditions behind these garments are completely unknown.
There is virtually no supply chain transparency on Depop. The platform does not require sellers to disclose the origins of their items, nor does it conduct audits or verify any ethical claims a seller might make. This opacity means it's impossible to confirm if new items sold on the site were made under fair labor conditions.
Items made with leather, wool, fur, and other animal-derived materials are common on Depop. However, the platform does not regulate or certify the animal welfare standards behind these products. Sourcing is unverified, meaning there are no guarantees against practices like unethical fur farming or mulesing.
By promoting secondhand shopping, Depop is inherently more sustainable than buying new. However, several factors prevent it from being a fully sustainable platform.
Depop's marketplace is a mix of materials. Vintage items may be made from durable, natural fibers, but a huge volume of modern secondhand listings are made from synthetics like polyester and nylon. These fabrics shed microplastics when washed and rely on fossil fuels for production.
The business model reduces manufacturing emissions by championing reuse. However, Depop's system relies on individual sellers shipping single items to individual buyers, often across the country or internationally. This creates a significant carbon footprint from shipping and packaging that decentralized peer-to-peer marketplaces struggle to mitigate.
Depop is a key player in the circular economy, giving clothes a second or third life. The main benefit is diverting clothing from landfills. However, the platform lacks formal take-back or textile recycling programs for items that don't sell or reach the end of their usable life, leaving disposal entirely up to the sellers.
While parent company Etsy has overarching goals like becoming carbon neutral by 2030, Depop itself lacks specific, publicly detailed sustainability targets or reports. The sustainability focus is almost entirely on its secondhand model, not on broader corporate initiatives like packaging standards or emissions reductions.
Depop's model champions reuse, positioning it as a better choice than buying new fast fashion. However, its marketplace structure allows questionable ethical and environmental practices to continue unchecked, preventing it from earning a top score.
Depop earns a B- because its core mission to extend garment lifespans is an ethically positive act. However, it loses points for its almost complete lack of transparency and seller accountability for originally sourced goods. The potential for items made with exploited labor to be sold on the platform (especially "new with tags" items) is a significant ethical gap that the platform fails to address.
We give Depop a C+ for sustainability. Facilitating a circular economy is its greatest strength and helps divert millions of items from landfills. The grade is held back by the high carbon footprint of individual shipping, the widespread sale of synthetic microplastic-shedding clothing, and a lack of corporate environmental targets or end-of-life programs.
If Depop's lack of oversight and focus on trends concerns you, here are some secondhand platforms and sustainable brands with more robust ethical and environmental standards.
As a large, centralized resale platform, ThredUP efficiently processes, photographs, and ships items from two large centers, reducing the carbon footprint of shipping. It is also a B Corp certified company, meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
Shop now at thredup.com
Patagonia’s own resale platform for its products is backed by one of the most sustainable and ethical brands in the world. With Fair Trade Certified production, a focus on recycled materials, and an ironclad repair program, this is the gold standard for high-performance secondhand gear.
Shop now at wornwear.patagonia.com
Similar to Depop as a peer-to-peer platform, Vinted actively promotes sustainable practices like eco-friendly shipping options and reports on its environmental initiatives. It provides a community-focused space with a clearer emphasis on simple decluttering over rapid trend-chasing.
Shop now at vinted.com
If you prefer buying new, Reformation is a leader in sustainable fashion. The brand is Climate Neutral Certified, uses a high percentage of sustainable materials like Tencel, and provides factory transparency, making it a much better alternative to trendy fast fashion brands.
Shop now at thereformation.com
Eileen Fisher Renew takes back the brand's old garments to be repaired, cleaned, and resold. As a certified B Corp using organic fibers and responsible dyes, the company is built around circularity, supply chain transparency, and fair labor, offering timeless pieces that last.
Shop now at eileenfisher.com
Partially, yes. Depop is home to many sellers who thrift clothes to resell, similar to a digital thrift or vintage store. However, it also features sellers running small businesses, independent designers, and people simply cleaning out their own closets, making it a broader peer-to-peer marketplace.
The problem arises from two main areas: mimicking fast fashion consumption patterns and a lack of oversight. The platform fuels micro-trends and encourages users to buy and sell clothes at a rapid pace. This, combined with the fact that many sellers resell items sourced directly from unethical fast fashion brands, means it can perpetuate unsustainable cycles of overconsumption, just with a secondhand label.
Yes, absolutely. Choosing a secondhand item from Depop over buying a new item from an ultra-fast fashion giant like SHEIN is always the more sustainable option. It prevents a new item from being manufactured and diverts an existing one from a landfill, directly reducing resource consumption and waste, even with its own set of issues.
