The Data Is In: SOJO works with WRAP to verify the environmental savings of repair
A landmark report from WRAP has done something the circular fashion industry has long needed: put hard numbers behind the environmental case for repair. And SOJO's data helped make it possible.
Feb 27, 2025
Published in February 2025, Displacement Rates Untangled quantifies exactly how much repair and resale prevent the purchase of new clothing. SOJO was selected as one of just six businesses worldwide to contribute data to the study, alongside Depop, eBay, Vestiaire Collective, The Seam, and Finisterre.
What the Research Found
The headline finding is striking: clothing repair has an 82.2% displacement rate. For every five garments repaired, four prevent the purchase of a brand-new item. The environmental savings are just as significant:
Repairing a cotton t-shirt saves over 7.5kg CO2e
Repairing a wool jumper saves over 16kg CO2e
Repairing a waterproof jacket saves over 45kg CO2e
To understand why these numbers matter, consider the scale of the problem. Fashion accounts for around 10% of global carbon emissions — more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined — with 70% of those emissions coming from the production of new clothing. Every repair directly targets that chain.
Why This Research Is a Game-Changer
Until now, the circular fashion industry has lacked a consistent way to measure its impact. Different organisations used different methodologies, making it impossible to compare results or make credible environmental claims — and harder to convince brands, investors, and policymakers that repair genuinely moves the needle.
WRAP's report changes that. By working with six leading businesses, it has established a single methodology any organisation can adopt, producing data that is robust, comparable, and built to hold up to scrutiny.
"We can now clearly and consistently measure the environmental case for repair — for the first time," said WRAP CEO Harriet Lamb. "Customers are looking to brands for new services like repair and renting."
What It Means for SOJO
For SOJO, contributing to this research was both an honour and a milestone. As a VC-backed, fast-growing fashion tech startup working with some of the biggest names in fashion — including Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, Paul Smith, and H&M Group — SOJO has always known repair creates real environmental value. Now there is industry-wide data to prove it.
"For too long, the tangible impact of clothing repair has not been understood," said founder and CEO Josephine Philips. "This data is a crucial next step — particularly in communicating impact to our brand partners and key industry players to help push for more circular practices."
The Case for Repair Has Never Been Stronger
The UK consumed the fourth highest volume of clothing of any nation in 2024. Global production doubled between 2000 and 2015. The scale of the problem is enormous — but so is the opportunity.
WRAP's research makes one thing clear: repair is one of the most effective and measurable tools available to the fashion industry right now. The infrastructure exists, the consumer appetite is there, and the data now backs it up. The question for brands is no longer whether repair is worth investing in — it's how quickly they can move.