The hidden cost of returns
Every day, millions of returned products are destroyed worldwide. It's an environmental and financial crisis, and it's solvable.
See how Forwarding helps1 in 3
returned clothes bought online ends up destroyed
4.5kg
of CO₂ emitted per returned fashion item on average
44%
reduction in warehouse returns with Forwarding
Sources: European Environment Agency (2024), Eruguz, Van Heijst et al., Omega 128 (2024), Roichman et al., Resources, Conservation & Recycling 210 (2024), Marriott et al., Transportation Research Part E 194 (2024), Long & Liu, Cleaner Logistics and Supply Chain (2025)
The research
One third of all returned clothing bought online ends up being destroyed
The European Environment Agency published a landmark report in March 2024 documenting the scale of textile destruction in Europe's circular economy. The findings confirm what we've seen firsthand: the current returns model is unsustainable.
Read the full publication →“Forwarding reduces returns to warehouse by up to 44%”
Independent research: Omega 128, Elsevier
Forwarding is proven to work
Independent research, co-authored with researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Erasmus University Rotterdam, was published in Omega 128 (Elsevier, 2024). The research shows Forwarding reduces warehouse returns by up to 44%.
Read the paper →Independent research: Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier
Up to 44% of returned clothes never reach another consumer.
Roichman, Sprecher, Blass, Meshulam and Makov (2024) analysed over 630,000 returned apparel items across the EU to map where returned products actually end up. Their findings are stark: under conventional returns management, nearly half of all returns are discarded, recycled, or lost, never reaching a second buyer. More importantly, the greenhouse gas emissions embedded in producing those wasted items can be up to 16 times greater than all the transport, packaging and processing emissions of the return itself combined. The environmental cost of the current returns model is not the delivery van. It is the garment that gets thrown away.
Read the full paper →All research cited on this page is collected on our dedicated research page →
Navigating EU sustainability regulations? See how Forwarding helps with CSRD, GCD, and PPWR →
How Forwarding helps the environment
No unnecessary transport
Returns go directly from customer A to customer B. The roundtrip to the warehouse, and all its emissions, is eliminated.
Nothing gets destroyed
Items that would otherwise be written off or destroyed find a new owner immediately. Less waste, more value.
Measurable CO₂ savings
Every Forward saves on average 310 grams of CO₂. We report these savings to you and show them to your customers.
See how Forwarding compares to alternatives like pre-loved sections and liquidation on environmental impact. View comparison →