The fashion industry is responsible for up to 10 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. But what if you could get clothes more sustainably and spend less money?
By Sarah Raza
These companies tout sustainability as one of the best reasons to rent: By circulating clothes among more people, they satisfy shoppers’ desire for new looks while avoiding the emissions a new wardrobe would generate.
“You might be able to call rental firms a bit of a disrupter, probably a very positive disrupter if it displaces demand for new products,” said Dorothy Lovell, sector lead on garment and footwear at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
“The only thing is, of course, there are trade-offs,” she added.
Shipping you those items generates carbon emissions, and so does washing them after you’re done with them.
Here’s what you need to know about renting clothes and accessories.
The rental model
The details of how these companies operate vary, but the basic logistics remain the same.
You can either sign up for a monthly subscription that will allow you to use a certain number of items per month (like those offered by Nuuly and Vivrelle), or pay per item (as in the case of Rent the Runway).
