The online marketplace for electrical appliances Refurbed has added fashion to its product portfolio. For the time being, the new category will be offered in the German and Austrian online shop, the company announced at the beginning of May.
Customers are currently offered a selection of 20 different fashion brands – including Beauty Oak, Fitico Sportswear and Kumi Sneakers. However, Refurbed is planning a “rapid expansion of the range” and intends to add other product categories in addition to fashion. The online marketplace is thus pursuing a Europe-wide expansion. Until now, the online marketplace offered electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops and household appliances.
In the long term, the company aims to become the first platform “on which customers can buy sustainable products from different categories centrally”.
“We see that people want to buy sustainable products, but don’t know where – or how to assess their seriousness,” says co-founder Peter Windischhofer. Refurbed wants to offer customers security – transparency plays a central role here, because customers should be spared research on sustainability criteria and greenwashing. In order to be included in the Refurbed brand portfolio, the fashion retailers must be able to demonstrate a minimum proportion of 50 percent recycled materials per product. The higher the percentage of recycled materials in the products, the higher the item will be ranked on the website. Also, brands must provide “evidence of transparency throughout the supply chain.” The retailers must also have a Global Recycled Standards certification and also be certified by either Fair Wear, Wrap or Sa8000 – all three organizations that set social and ethical standards.
Since May, Refurbed has been working with the Spanish company Bcome, which carries out life cycle analyzes for various products. Among other things, customers can see how much water is used in the production of an article and how much the product contributes to global warming.