marko’s Commitment to Sustainability | How we Shape the Future

We Need to Change our Shopping Behaviors

The fashion industry alone is responsible for an unimaginable 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions (2) . And it doesn’t seem to get better - fast fashion is increasing in popularity, while 79% of the clothes we already own haven’t been worn in the past year (3) . We believe that we need to act, and that buying and selling secondhand is the most effective alternative to today’s wasteful shopping culture. Woman laying on clothing When you buy secondhand, you’re not only extending the life of your products. You’re also reducing the need to produce new ones. Plus, since you’re mostly shopping locally, you’re cutting down on emissions from transportation. In fact, shopping secondhand can reduce emissions by up to 80% compared to buying new!

We are the generation that cares. We are the generation that acts. At marko, we’re committed to making secondhand shopping easy, secure, and inspiring. We want everyone to choose secondhand first, and we’re working hard to make sure that buying and selling secondhand is more fun than buying new. We know that sustainability can sometimes feel like a daunting task, but we’re here to help you feel confident and excited about your choices.

Can’t Spell Sustainability Without Sus

Of course, we know that we’re not perfect. Shopping secondhand is still shopping, after all, and we want to encourage everyone to think carefully about their purchases. That’s why we’re studying the purchasing behavior on marko and trying to educate on the impact of shopping choices. Because we need to understand our impact in order to make conscious shopping decisions. Love our planet on poster For example, we analyze the ‘replacement rate’ of purchases (how many purchases replace a new item being bought), to get a better picture of what motivates people to shop secondhand. Furthermore, we work with experts at myclimate to calculate the CO2 equivalent (abb.: ”CO2e”) impact of our items. Our methodology takes into account the materials, processing, and packaging of the products, but does not include transport or disposal. Every emission calculation is a model of reality and subject to uncertainties, but we strive to be as accurate as possible. If you’re interested in learning more about the nitty-gritty details of our CO2 calculation methodology, you can find more information below.

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CO2 Calculation Methodology

The calculated CO2 equivalent value refers to the emissions that would occur if the respective product had to be produced again. These values were calculated by myclimate. The calculated CO2e emissions are counted as avoided emissions, since the product is secondhand and therefore was not newly produced. Logo of MyClimate and marko For the calculation, the materials, the processing steps and the packaging were taken into account. Transport and disposal of the products were not included in this specific case. The transport of a secondary product and the delivery of the corresponding new product from the retailer to the consumer roughly balance each other out. Allocation of disposal is difficult and cannot be clearly determined for secondary products (since it’s not known how the product was credited to the previous person). Therefore, from a conservative perspective, disposal isn’t included. The materialization was performed by marko and subsequently plausibilized by myclimate. The products are assigned a CO2e value based on the superordinate category. In individual cases, this can lead to the values deviating from the actual product. Averaged over all products, however, it can be assumed that these deviations balance out again. Every emission calculation is only a model of reality and therefore subject to uncertainties. These uncertainties vary depending on the data basis and methodology and are already integrated in the values.

We Need to Change our Shopping Behaviors

Can’t Spell Sustainability Without Sus

CO2 Calculation Methodology

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