Accelerating the future of circular fashion

Circular fashion has been part of eBay since the beginning. By connecting people and small businesses with buyers around the world, eBay helps keep fashion in circulation, extending the life of products while creating economic opportunity.

Today, nearly 40% of clothing, shoes and accessories sold on eBay are pre-loved. We are building on that foundation by investing in circular innovation, making pre-loved fashion easier to discover and trust, and advocating for policies that help circular businesses grow.

Investing in the innovators making fashion circular

In 2022, eBay launched its Circular Fashion Fund to help entrepreneurs turn promising circular solutions into scalable businesses.

The Fund supports innovation across the circular fashion ecosystem, including resale, repair, textile recycling, authentication, sourcing and textile recovery. Alongside funding, selected businesses receive mentoring and access to industry expertise and networks that can help them grow.

In 2026, eBay expanded the programme to businesses and start-ups across the European Union for the first time. Since its launch, the Fund has supported more than 30 businesses globally, with eBay’s total funding through the programme expected to reach $1.9 million by the end of 2026.

The first European edition also produced the Fund’s 2026 global winner: Belgian start-up Trosort. Its AI-powered technology helps automate the sorting of second-hand textiles, addressing one of the practical infrastructure challenges facing a circular textile economy.

Making pre-loved the first choice

Innovation also depends on demand. eBay has worked to make pre-loved fashion increasingly accessible, trusted and visible to consumers, and to demonstrate that circular fashion can be both desirable and affordable.

Initiatives such as eBay Endless Runway have brought pre-loved clothing to major fashion events around the world, while eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee helps build confidence when shopping for selected pre-loved fashion. In September 2026, eBay extended the service to France and Italy, with eligible fashion and luxury items authenticated by specialist experts at eBay’s European authentication centre.

In 2026, eBay also acquired Depop, bringing together two communities built around recommerce and creating further opportunities to accelerate the future of circular fashion. 

Creating the right policy environment for circular fashion

Europe has set ambitious objectives for a more circular textile economy. Achieving them will require regulation to recognise that circular products and businesses do not always operate like traditional manufacturers or linear supply chains.

For eBay, several principles are particularly important.

• Put reuse first. EU circular economy policy should recognise resale, reuse, repair and refurbishment as essential parts of the circular economy, alongside recycling. Keeping an existing product in use should be made as easy as possible.
• Design rules for second-hand products too. Requirements such as Digital Product Passports and textile labelling can improve transparency and consumer trust. But second-hand products may no longer have complete manufacturer data or their original labels. Rules should accommodate this reality and enable proportionate solutions for pre-loved goods.
• Make Extended Producer Responsibility work across the Single Market. EPR can help finance the collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure Europe needs. At the same time, fragmented national registration and reporting requirements can create significant barriers for small businesses selling across borders. Europe should simplify these requirements and avoid imposing new burdens on the resale of products that are already in circulation.
• Think small first. Many of the entrepreneurs driving circular fashion are start-ups and small businesses. EU rules should enable them to scale across the Single Market rather than require them to navigate 27 different compliance systems.

Building the circular fashion ecosystem together

No single company, technology or policy can make fashion circular on its own.

That is why eBay works with entrepreneurs, sellers, policymakers, fashion organisations and other partners to bring different parts of the circular fashion ecosystem together. In June 2026, for example, eBay and the Circular Fashion Federation convened policymakers and circular fashion entrepreneurs in Brussels to discuss what is needed to scale innovation, strengthen consumer trust and make Europe’s regulatory framework work better for circular business models.

By connecting millions of buyers and sellers, supporting the next generation of circular innovators and advocating for rules that enable reuse and recommerce, eBay is helping create economic opportunity while contributing to a more circular future for fashion.