Several companies are positioning themselves on the growing clothing rental market, presenting this possibility as ecological. We mention, mix it up, Rent The Runway on the luxury fashion side, subscription-style Le Closet or Possible France as a box, 1 dress for 1 evening for a special occasion outfit, Les Cachotières for a look that can be delivered at l’ last minute and can also be returned sec, La Fashion Lib for community sharing between individuals such as a shared dressing room, or even Frida, which is the clothing rental platform of the Made My Lemonade brand.
The high pollution linked to the transport of rental clothing
Except that what presents itself as an ecological solution to the frenetic shopping for novelties turns out to be much less sustainable than it seems… This is what a team of Finnish researchers has just highlighted in a study published in May 2021 by the scientific journal Environmental Research Letters.
Scientists have calculated the greenhouse gas emissions related to five different ways of owning clothes and their end of life, such as resale, recycling and leasing. And the latter possibility generates the highest climate impact of the methods studied, even worse than throwing away clothes (which are usually burned or buried)! Recycling has also had a significant environmental impact, since these are industrial processes that necessarily require energy.
Study co-author Anna Härri, a graduate of the Department of Sustainability Sciences at Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland, told the outlet. Fast company :
“We in no way discourage brands from developing a recycling technology. But it is important to realize this recycling and renting generate far more emissions than reselling or simply wearing the clothes longer. This should inform how the fashion industry evaluates how to be more sustainable in the future. »
without surprise, The most sustainable and eco-friendly way to own clothes is to keep the ones you have for as long as possible and buy fewFinnish researchers confirm.
A textile industry still far from the ideal of circular fashion
That pleases a large part of the textile industry, which wields the fantasy of a ” circular fashion “…Unlike our current linear system where clothes are produced, worn and then discarded, this concept refers to the idea of another way of consuming according to a virtuous circle. The clothes would circulate for as long as possible between different people who would exchange and/or resell them, before being recycled and reintegrated into this circulation which would therefore no longer need to produce virgin raw materials.
An ideal to strive towards, were it not that we are still far from having arrived there.
Actually, most clothing rental platforms necessarily induce a lot of transport, thus a multiplication of the pollution linked to all this logistics. As for brands that claim to use recycled cotton or polyester, for example, be careful not to mention it the same recycling process also involves a significant energy impact, which the general public tends to underestimate, or even ignore.
If you want to learn more about this topic, I highly recommend the book Recycling: The Big Smoke. How the circular economy has become the excuse of throwawayby Flore Berlingen, director of the NGO Zero Waste France and president of La Maison du Zéro Déchet in Paris.
The possibility of recycling, the excuse of disposable fashion?
This is why it is so important to consider the possibility of recycling as a solution of last resort for our garments whose life we have an interest in prolonging, and not as an excuse to buy them and get rid of them quickly once tired. This is also what the study researcher explains Fast company :
“Recycling is an important part of a sustainable future. We encourage companies to continue investing in it. But it cannot replace the reduction of consumption. »
Waiting, all clothing rental platforms should switch to zero- or low-carbon modes of transportation so that they can respond to the ideal of circular fashion.
Otherwise, continuing to relate clothing rental as an eco-friendly method to use up more and more clothes quickly without guilt is bait. Greenwashing.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
