Sustainable fashion is a large umbrella term that refers to fashion that is designed, manufactured, and distributed in an environmentally conscious way.

In today’s capitalistic society, there is no such thing as truly sustainable fashion because our reliance on perpetually extractive practices makes any industry inherently unsustainable. BUT we can do our best to work towards regenerative and sustainable models and as individual consumers, the option to rent clothing is an approach that has been gaining popularity lately.

Who might benefit from rented clothing?

The best thing about rented clothing is that it gives people access to certain garments without the commitment of buying garments that they might only wear a handful of times. This approach allows the consumer to swap out their closet more frequently and to experiment with different styles, which can help an individual find their personal style and eventually decrease their overall clothing consumption. Clothing rentals can also be incredibly supportive for consumers who like to chase trends but are hoping to transition out of fast fashion.

What rented clothing is good for:

Clothing rentals extend the life cycle of a garment which helps decrease waste as a whole. In order to address the environmental issues in fashion, we have to move towards slower rates of consumption, but the idea of integrating a shared economy in fashion and using clothing rentals as an intermediary can be pretty useful.

In today’s article, we’ll discuss several factors that impact the sustainability of rented clothing.

Unfortunately, I have no scientific evidence to back up these points as there is very little transparency (and research) in/on the fashion industry, but the conversation around sustainability is nuanced and it is through these discussions that we can better understand the impact that rented clothing has on the environment.

1. Rate of Renting (Rate of Consumption)

Consumption rate is at the core of sustainability.

If you’re constantly swapping your closet out, you may not be generating more waste by purchasing new garments all the time, but that behavior can still be pretty taxing on the environment. Shipping emissions, chemical cleaning, storage maintenance…all adds up. At what point does the environmental costs of rotating your wardrobe across the country overtake the cost of new production?

One thing that can dramatically impact whether or not rented clothing is sustainable or not is the business model that a specific company implements.

There are two primary business models for clothing rentals: rentals for special occasions and rentals for everyday wear.

Special occasion rental companies like Rent the Runway are likely to have a smaller environmental impact than companies that encourage clothing rentals on a monthly (or weekly) basis. Nowadays however, we’re seeing more and more companies lean towards the idea of rentals for everyday wear.

Whether these businesses encourage their customers to swap their closets out on a weekly, monthly, or seasonal basis, the frequent turnover and high volume makes this model less sustainable.

2. Shipping Emissions

Sustainability pertains to more than just production emissions: we have to consider the bigger picture of how all operations are run.

An inherent cost to running a country-wide clothing rental company is that in order for the garments to reach the consumers, they have to be shipped out. This generates shipping emissions that we have to account for.

Are these clothing rental companies doing their best to streamline sustainability practices on this front? Are they using zero-waste packaging or offsetting their carbon footprint? These practices don’t make a company or service “sustainable,” but certainly do move it in the right direction.

3. Impact of Cleaning

Another inherent cost to running a rental clothing business is the cleaning costs. When the garments aren’t being rented out, the companies are responsible for their upkeep. In order to maintain a hygienic operation, it’s essential for companies to clean the clothes after every wear.

This leads us to question the environmental impact that this frequent washing can have.

Are the companies doing everything they can to ensure that waste water is managed properly? Are they using cleaning products that are non-toxic? What effects do these practices have on the Earth as well as their local communities?

4. Storage & End of Life Treatment

On top of those other operation costs, we have to consider the amount of energy that goes into storing these garments and how the garments are disposed of once they’re no longer rentable. These are both questions that garment rental companies should address if sustainability is a top priority. 

There’s no definitive answer to whether or not rented clothing is sustainable as the whole conversation is layered and it depends on what we’re comparing this way of living to. 

If we’re comparing a rented clothing model to a fast fashion model, then sure, it’s probably more sustainable. We’re extending the lifespan of those garments and the environmental costs of storage, cleaning, and shipping probably don’t add up to the new production environmental costs. If we’re comparing it to simply slowing down, buying less, and taking care of our existing clothes however, it’s probably not that sustainable. As a whole, it depends on the application of this alternative and how frequently we’re renting clothes.

Rather than choosing rented clothing as an end-all-be-all solution to fast fashion, consider using other lifestyle shifts in tandem: swap clothes with friends and family within your local community, wear your clothes for as long as you can and take care of them, and only rent when you don’t plan on owning a garment long term.