Humana Estonia

What Humana Estonia does

Humana Estonia (legal entity: Humana Sorteerimiskeskus OÜ) is a private Estonian circular-economy retailer founded in 2000 that operates second-hand and vintage clothing stores and a centralized textile sorting facility. Its primary activity is collecting donated clothing through a network of strategically placed containers across Estonia, processing the textiles at a dedicated sorting center in Tänassilma Tehnopark (relocated there in 2009 from the original 2001 site at Betooni põik 8), and redistributing graded inventory through three retail formats: Humana (standard tier in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu), Humana Vintage (curated premium vintage in Tallinn old town, Tartu mnt, and Tartu), and Humana 2 (smaller-town stores in Võru, Valga, Viljandi, Kuressaare, Haapsalu, Rakvere). The sorting center processes approximately 7,000 tons per year (~100,000 items per day) into more than 100 categories by quality, type, and material, routing roughly 80% of inflow to reuse, 15% to recycling, and ~5% to waste; over 25 years the facility has sorted more than 160,000 tons and crossed the 15 million kg collected milestone in November 2023. Revenue is generated almost entirely through retail sales of graded second-hand clothing, shoes, home textiles, and accessories, with low-ticket unit pricing (€0.50–€5 typical, vintage items at premium tiers). Proceeds are directed to development projects in partner countries, framed as the organization's primary purpose. The company serves two customer groups: conscious consumers seeking affordable, sustainable, and unique clothing (primary segment) and clothing donors (secondary). Marketing relies on Instagram (@humanavintageest), a 'Humana People' customer storytelling content series, in-store new-collection events (weekly for standard stores, bi-weekly for Humana 2), and occasional discount weeks. The company is independently owned with no disclosed parent or external investors; in 2025 it closed three stores (Jõhvi, Narva, Päärsküla) for financial underperformance while simultaneously upgrading flagship locations such as the 450 m² Magistrali store and expanding the donation container footprint in Tallinn in partnership with Tallinna Jäätmekeskus.

Name

Humana Estonia

Legal name

Humana Sorteerimiskeskus OÜ

Website

https://humanae.ee

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Humana Estonia operates a network of second-hand and vintage clothing stores and a centralized textile sorting facility in Estonia, collecting donated clothing via containers across the country, sorting it into 100+ categories, and reselling graded items through Humana, Humana Vintage, and Humana 2 retail formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Second-hand clothing retail

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Textile & Apparel Recycling and Sorting (Non-E-waste) (BPALADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Post-Consumer Textile Collection & Sorting (Take-Back/Charity/Reverse Logistics) (IMAOAMAA)

Keywords

• Second-hand clothing retail
• Textile sorting services
• Clothing collection network
• Vintage clothing stores
• Circular economy reuse

Headquarters

HQ city

Saku

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales of Second-hand Clothing: Humana generates revenue through retail sales of sorted, graded second-hand clothing and textiles in their physical stores. Items are sorted by quality and routed to appropriate store formats (Humana standard, Humana Vintage, or Humana 2). Unsold items are redirected to recycling (15%) or disposal (5%).
2. Development Project Support: Revenue from clothing sales supports development projects in partner countries. This is stated as the primary purpose of their operations, with proceeds funding international development initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Humana Estonia operates a chain of physical second-hand clothing stores under three formats (Humana standard, Humana Vintage, Humana 2) selling sorted, graded used clothing, shoes, home textiles, accessories, and toys. The company runs an in-house sorting center that processes approximately 7,000 tons of donated textiles annually into more than 100 categories, and maintains an Estonia-wide network of clothing collection containers to supply the sorting pipeline.

Product overview

Humana Estonia is a second-hand clothing retail and reuse organization operating a multi-format store network: standard Humana stores in major cities (Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu), Humana Vintage for curated vintage pieces, and Humana 2 stores in smaller towns. The company runs a central sorting center (Sorteerimiskeskus 25) that processes approximately 7,000 tons of textiles annually, distributing 80% to reuse, 15% to recycling, and 5% to waste. Clothing collection containers are distributed across Estonia for donations. The organization supports development projects in partner countries with proceeds from sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Humana Standard Stores

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of collected textiles redirected to reuse rather than landfill
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Tallinna Jäätmekeskus (Tallinn Waste Center)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2023, Humana cooperated with Tallinna Jäätmekeskus to place 20 new, modernly designed clothing collection containers in Tallinn. This partnership expanded donation infrastructure in the city.
• Põlva Jäätmejaam (Põlva Waste Station)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2023, Põlva waste station resumed accepting clothing donations, expanding Humana's collection network.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Renewal Workshop: US-based textile-recycling and circular-economy service provider partnering with apparel brands to redirect unsold/returned goods. Comparable in the textile-sorting and reuse-routing capability that underpins Humana Estonia's sorting center.

Direct peers

• Emmaus: International solidarity movement running second-hand stores across Europe with textile collection and reuse. Same circular-economy mission and physical-store-driven resale model as Humana Estonia.
• Myrorna: Swedish second-hand chain owned by the Salvation Army, running a national network of thrift stores and textile collection. Closely comparable in mission, retail format, and textile-sorting value chain, though at much larger scale.
• Red Cross Second-hand Shops: National Red Cross societies across Europe (Estonia, Finland, Sweden, etc.) operate second-hand clothing stores funded by donations. Same charity-funded thrift model, similar donor-supply economics, and overlapping customer segments.
• UFF (U-landshjälp från Folk till Folk): Finnish second-hand clothing charity chain operating thrift stores and clothing collection with a similar reuse-for-development mission. Operates adjacent to Estonia and is a direct regional comparable for cross-border customer overlap.

Emerging players

• Patagonia Worn Wear: Brand-operated second-hand and repair program for used apparel. Adjacent to Humana's reuse mission and a useful comparable for circular-economy retail monetization.
• Rokit: Vintage second-hand clothing retailer known for curated, higher-priced vintage pieces. Comparable to Humana Vintage's positioning of premium items from sorted donated inventory.
• Beyond Retro: Curated vintage and second-hand fashion retailer with both physical stores and an online channel. Comparable to Humana's Vintage format and a reference point for premium-vintage monetization of sorted second-hand inventory.
• Vinted: Online peer-to-peer second-hand fashion marketplace with very strong Nordic/Baltic user base. Represents the digital resale channel competing for the same Estonian second-hand consumer dollars that Humana stores depend on.

Broad incumbents

• Federation Humana People to People: The global federation under which the Humana brand operates, running similar second-hand clothing and development projects across multiple countries. Provides the brand, network, and likely operational reference framework that Humana Estonia leverages.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/humanavintageest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Humana Estonia