Recommerce and Sustainability: How B-Stock Closes the Loop
Every April, Earth Month serves as a reminder that sustainability is a necessity, not a trend. For retailers and brands managing a constant flow of returned, excess and used inventory, the question is no longer whether to embrace sustainable practices, but how to do so at scale. B-Stock, the world’s largest B2B recommerce platform, answers this question every day.
What is recommerce and why is it important?
Recommerce, short for Reverse Commerce, refers to the reselling of used, refurbished or secondary market products through a dedicated platform. From electronics and clothing to furniture and appliances, recommerce prioritizes extending product life cycles over disposal, keeping items out of landfill and reintroducing them into the supply chain.
It is the practical engine of the circular economy, shifting from a linear “take-make-dispose” model to a system built on reuse, repair and recovery. The environmental and economic benefits are real. Recommerce reduces demand for natural materials, lowers energy consumption, reduces emissions associated with new manufacturing, and fosters job creation across logistics, refurbishment and resale.
The recommerce market is growing rapidly.
Numbers don’t lie. Secondary sales in the United States are estimated at $846 billion, representing 3% of the U.S. economy. Consumer demands are also increasing accordingly. According to eBay’s 2025 Recommerce Report, 68% of consumers say they feel good about giving items a second life, with cost savings, sustainability benefits, and rejecting fast fashion among the top motivating factors. Additionally, 59% of Gen Z and 56% of Millennials expect to increase spending on pre-loved products, making sustainability a commercial rather than ethical priority.
Retailers are taking note. 94% of retail executives say their customers are already engaging in resale, and 76% of retailers that do not currently offer a resale program are considering or planning to launch one. Change is afoot. The question is whether brands are in a position to lead or catch up.
Recommerce can help solve the waste problem
The scale of the waste problem makes the need for recommerce clear. According to Earth.org, the average American consumer throws away 81.5 pounds of clothing each year. This is approximately 2,150 items of clothing per second. Meanwhile, e-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams globally. The average American generates 47 pounds of electronic waste each year. These are not abstract statistics. They represent real products that never found a second life, many of which are perfectly usable.
How B-Stock Closes the Loop
In 2026, B-Stock sold 160 million units across its platforms, giving a second life to nearly 300,000 tons of inventory. This includes more than 40 million pieces of clothing diverted from landfills and nearly 10 million electronic devices and cell phones, or more than 5 million pounds of e-waste that cannot be disposed of.
Through our online B2B recommerce platform, over 500,000 corporate buyers have access to returned and excess inventory, creating a competitive and transparent secondary marketplace that promotes recovery while reducing environmental impact. Notably, 73% of all items sold on B-Stock are customer returns rather than overstock, highlighting the platform’s role in not only managing inventory but also providing a true second chance for returned products.
Every transaction is a step towards a circular future
This Earth Month, B-Stock reaffirms its commitment to a circular economy where every product finds purpose and every transaction supports sustainability. Recommerce isn’t a solution to overstock, it’s a smarter, more responsible way to do business.
Want to see the full effect? Download the 2026 Sustainability Infographic and discover how B-Stock is helping the world’s leading retailers and brands close the loop.
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