Posted by SINGAPORE, 22 April 2025 — Carousell Group, the leading multi-category classifieds and recommerce group in Greater Southeast Asia, has released the second edition of its Circular Economy Impact Report, revealing that users across its platforms potentially avoided 153,141 tonnes of carbon emissions in 2023 by choosing secondhand instead of new. That’s roughly equivalent to the amount of CO₂ absorbed annually by 9 million trees.
Building on the foundation of the inaugural report, the second edition expands category and marketplace coverage to provide a more holistic and nuanced view of how secondhand choices contribute to climate action.
“Secondhand isn’t just a more affordable choice—it’s a climate solution. The second edition provides a deeper and more comprehensive look at how secondhand shopping contributes to climate impact,” said Mr Gaurav Bhasin, Chief Sustainability Officer at Carousell Group. “By refining our methodology, we want to highlight how meaningful each secondhand choice can be. On average, secondhand items bought on Carousell can potentially cut carbon impact by up to 60% compared to buying new.”
Quantifying how small actions create big impact
Developed in partnership with European climate tech company Vaayu, the report uses a consequential Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to estimate emissions avoided when consumers choose pre-owned items over new items. It covers secondhand transactions across four of the Group’s platforms—Carousell, Laku6, Mudah.my, and REFASH, with a focus on product category-level analysis.
Key findings include:
- An average of 14kg CO₂e avoided per secondhand item transacted via Carousell Group, equivalent to producing 22 plastic bottles
- Top impact categories include Furniture & Home Living, Computers & Tech, Home Appliances, Mobile Phones, and Sports Equipment
- About 3 out of 5 purchases on Carousell Group potentially replaced a new item
Supporting a growing culture of secondhand
Carousell Group continues to expand its omnichannel recommerce programmes to make it easier for more people to participate in the circular economy. In addition to enhancing trust and convenience through initiatives like Certified programme, Sell to Carousell, and integrated payments and delivery options, the Group has also been continually refining its efforts to reimagine online classifieds for an AI-first world with the latest technology. AI-powered features such as smarter search, personalised recommendations, and auto-filled sell forms using Large Language Models (LLMs) make buying and selling faster and simpler. These efforts are complemented by user education and behavioural nudges designed to build lasting habits. (Please refer to Annex A)
On classifieds and recommerce marketplace Carousell, users see estimated carbon savings at the product listing level—encouraging eco-conscious decisions right at the point of consideration. Marketing campaigns reinforce this behaviour by reminding users that their everyday actions—be it selling an old phone or buying a pre-loved bag—are already making a difference.
Leading Indonesian mobile recommerce platforms Laku6 and Maujual run regular impact-focused campaigns with NGOs and charities to drive both consumer awareness and community action, such as donating to plant over 300 trees in the past year. The newly-opened Maujual retail store in Jakarta features sustainability education displays, helping shoppers understand how choosing refurbished phones contributes to a lower carbon footprint.
With around 30 stores across shopping malls in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, REFASH is redefining thrift and bringing it into the mainstream. Its Go Green Market event activations engage mall shoppers by prompting them to rethink choices through striking visual displays that illustrate the amount of clothes diverted from landfills and given a second life on the racks to be reloved by someone else.
Through social media campaigns, leading multi-category classifieds marketplace platform Mudah.my promotes simple behaviour changes, such as reselling preloved items and to opt for secondhand items as more affordable and sustainable choices.
Together, these efforts reflect Carousell Group’s commitment to making sustainable choices part of everyday life—accessible, impactful, and easy to repeat.
To download the full report, visit https://press.carousell.com/impactreport.
Discover more ways to buy and sell secondhand with these campaigns on Carousell and REFASH.
About Carousell Group
Carousell Group is the leading multi-category platform for secondhand in Greater Southeast Asia on a mission to make secondhand the first choice. Founded in August 2012 in Singapore, the Group has a leading presence in seven markets under the brands Carousell, Carousell Media Group, Cho Tot, Laku6, LuxLexicon, Mudah.my, OneShift, REFASH and Revo Financial, serving tens of millions of monthly active users. Carousell is backed by leading investors including Telenor Group, Rakuten Ventures, Naver, STIC Investments, 500 Global and Peak XV Partners (formerly known as Sequoia Capital India). Visit here for more information.
Featured brands in the report’s calculations
- Carousell – Leading multi-category classifieds and recommerce marketplace in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.
- Laku6 and Maujual – Leading mobile recommerce platforms in Indonesia.
- REFASH – Leading omnichannel thrift store with around 30 physical stores in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
- Mudah.my – Leading multi-category classifieds marketplace platform in Malaysia.
About Vaayu
Vaayu is the world’s first automated software empowering brands and businesses within the retail ecosystem to track and cut their carbon and environmental impact in real-time. By leveraging proprietary AI and machine learning technology, Vaayu calculates impacts like emissions, water and waste across product, packaging and logistics using certified LCA methodology to provide granular insights and inform data-driven decision-making. Through global partnerships, Vaayu has pioneered research into the climate impact potential of circular business models with Carousell, Vinted and Otrium, and calculated product footprints at scale for Klarna and Redcare Pharmacy, arming businesses and millions of consumers with robust impact data to guide more sustainable consumption. The partnership with Carousell Group marks the expansion of Vaayu’s expertise to Asia. For more information, https://www.vaayu.tech