We know that the throw-away fashion industry is incredibly bad for the environment. In fact, just one pair of jeans and a shirt can take up to 20,000 litres of water to produce! That’s a lot of impact, and that’s even before the carbon levels needed to make and transport the clothes are taken into account.
With caring for the environment becoming ever more vital, the impact of throw-away fashion needs to be addressed, and perhaps one way of doing this, without resolving to never change your look, is to rent your clothes rather than buy them.
When Rent The Runway was launched back in the late 00s, it was unknown whether it would prove to be successful. Thankfully, it did, giving those of us with smaller incomes the chance to wear incredible designer dresses for big events (without fatally injuring our bank balance). The next step which Urban Outfitters decided to take was to launch a rental service, for more everyday clothes.
Urban Outfitters has announced that its new rental subscription company, Nuuly, will allow subscribers to rent six different items from hundreds of brands for $88 a month. At the end of the month, clothing is returned in the reusable plastic-free and hanger-free bags provided – the service aims to create as little waste as possible.
Currently, the Nuuly service is only available in the United States, and since it’s new, there has been a bit of a waiting list. It’s not something we could all try then, but if it proves a success other companies may also decide that establishing rental services could be an ethical and profitable way to go.
If they did, would you sign up? Or is this solution all mouth and no trousers? (Sorry, couldn’t resist).
