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Returns Have a Carbon Footprint
When a brand talks about returns, it usually means refunds and reverse logistics. But there's a second bill that rarely shows up in the P&L: the environmental one. And it's enormous. Clothing returns are responsible for an estimated 27 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, and e-commerce returns overall account for up to 24 million metric tons of CO2 annually.
Fashion is the worst offender by category — clothing has an average return rate around 32%, compared to just 7% for consumer electronics.
Where Returned Clothing Ends Up
The most uncomfortable fact: a large share of returned clothing is never resold. In 2022 alone, companies sent over 9.5 billion pounds of returned products straight to landfill. Once an item has been tried on — or worn once and sent back — it's often too costly to inspect, clean, and relist, so it's discarded.
The broader picture is worse: around 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year, and clothing in landfill releases methane as it decomposes — a greenhouse gas roughly 25 times more potent than CO2 at trapping heat.
Why This Matters for Brands
Sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have. Customers and regulators increasingly judge brands on their environmental footprint, and returns are a visible, measurable part of it. Every avoided return is:
- Less reverse-logistics transport and emissions.
- One fewer item at risk of landfill.
- A real, reportable sustainability gain — not greenwashing.
Reducing Returns Is a Climate Win
Here's the good news: the same lever that protects margin also protects the planet. Since fit and sizing drive 53–70% of apparel returns, helping shoppers order the right size the first time cuts both the financial and environmental cost at once. There's no trade-off — fewer wrong-size orders is good business and good sustainability. The playbook is in How to Reduce Returns in Fashion E-commerce.
Where YourSizer Fits
YourSizer reduces wrong-size orders at the source by giving each shopper a confident, product-specific size. Fewer returns means a lighter footprint — a sustainability story brands can actually back with numbers. See how it works on the for-brands page.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How bad is the environmental impact of returns?
Clothing returns drive an estimated 27 million tonnes of CO2 per year, and billions of pounds of returned product end up in landfill annually.
Why are returned clothes thrown away?
Once tried on or worn, many items are too costly to inspect, clean, and relist, so a large share is sent to landfill rather than resold.
Does reducing returns help sustainability?
Yes — directly. Fewer wrong-size orders means less reverse-logistics emissions and less landfill waste, with no trade-off against profit.