eBay has teamed up with UK retailers such as Sainsbury’s, Ikea and Asda to set up a Circular Change Council to promote pre-owned furniture.
The council in partnership with Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) comes as reports suggest 22 million pieces of furniture are thrown away each year in the UK.
As reported by Retail Week, the council will discuss ways to create easier customer access to used furniture, cost of returns and recycling legislation that allow furniture to end up in landfill.
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eBay UK general manager of home, refurbished and electronics Kumaran Adithyan said: “There is a huge opportunity for the furniture industry to take on some of the challenges to help take steps towards a fully circular future.
“We are excited to partner with WRAP to bring together like-minded and forward-thinking brands from across the industry to form a collective that can drive and incentivise behaviour change at scale.
“There are some challenges we’ll work together to tackle – from stigma for buying second-hand to the language and framing that we use around non-new items,” Adithyan added.
“For 28 years, eBay has been providing the platform for non-new items and driving circularity. Now is the moment for second-hand to shine. We intend not only to make it easier for consumers to find a good deal by buying non-new, but also to help to keep items out of landfill.”
Last month, eBay launched a Circular Fashion Fund that will offer up to six £25,000 grants to small businesses, social enterprises and charities which specialise in circular fashion technology.
