The re-commerce concept has gained huge attention from the consumer in the fashion market. India is a country with people from different cultural backgrounds and communities. Clothing is treated differently in India. Due to the important social significance of textiles, clothing is rarely thrown away. For this study, 200 university students and professors have been selected and their behavior analyzed. This study found that Indian consumers are always in need of uniqueness, and self-perception has an indirect impact on their purchase intention or buying behavior. Consumers with different levels of understanding, culture, and beliefs also showed differing preference structures. Results showed the intention of buying reused or recycled clothes mainly to match the lifestyle to satisfy the individual desires.
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First it is important to understand the concept of circular economy by which the development of re-commerce concept does exist. Circular economy is the most recent attempt to conceptualize the integration of economic activity and environmental well-being in a sustainable way (Rani N., Yaduvanshi, Myana & Saravan, 2016). The circular economy emphasizes the redesign of processes and the recycling of materials that contribute to more sustainable business models. The much-criticized linear economy approach produces products from finite reserves and throws waste at landfills. An early approach to practical sustainability was considered and demonstrated as an “economy in loops” of resource saving, waste prevention and product life extension. Re-commerce or reverse commerce refers to the process of selling previously owned, new or used products, primarily electronic devices or media such as books, through physical or online distribution channels to companies or consumers who want to repair, if necessary, and reuse, recycle or resell them afterwards (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2015).
The pre-consumer textile waste in India has a number of applications based on the fibre composition. Cotton waste has a number of applications such as paper making, surgical products such as bandages and pillows, Open End spinning, automotive industry, tissue paper production or in the non-woven industry, litter, manure for mushrooms and more. Cotton waste is also exported from India to other countries after it has been cleaned and the required standard has been reached. VP Udyog Limited, Kolkata, India is an exporter of refined camel noil and cardboard cotton waste, yarn waste, stocking waste from India to countries such as England, France, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Anandi Enterprises of Tirupur, India produces and exports certified recycled dyed and blended yarns and recycled fabrics of cotton and polyester. Industries like these produce pollution-free waste with a wide range of applications in key industries (Bairagi, 2014).
The Indian textiles industry is extremely varied, with the hand-spun and hand-woven textiles sectors at one end of the spectrum, while the capital intensive sophisticated mills sector at the other end of the spectrum. The decentralised power looms/ hosiery and knitting sector form the largest component of the textiles sector. The close linkage of the textile industry to agriculture (for raw materials such as cotton) and the ancient culture and traditions of the country in terms of textiles make the Indian textiles sector unique in comparison to the industries of other countries. The Indian textile industry has the capacity to produce a wide variety of products suitable to different market segments, both within India and across the world.
Second-hand stores are becoming more and more popular nowadays, not only because of the vintage trend, but also because of what it represents: recycling something that has been used and generally of good quality, avoiding the accumulation of unwanted clothing (Ethitude, 2017).
Textile or clothing waste is generally categorized as waste before consumption or after consumption. The pre-consumer waste consists of by-product material from the yarn, textile and clothing industry. Textile waste after consumption mainly comes from household sources and consists of clothing or textiles that the owner no longer needs as it was (Kapila et al, 2019)
India’s textiles sector is one of the oldest industries in Indian economy dating back several centuries. India's overall textile exports during FY 2017-18 stood at US$ 39.2 billion in FY18 and is expected to increase to US$ 82.00 billion by 2021 from US$ 31.65 billion in FY19 (up to Jan 19) (IBEF, n.d).