Cars, houses, e-scooters: all of these things can be rented. But fashion? There is now a large selection here too. The rental model is intended to protect the environment. But does it really work?
Dessau / Hamburg – Own less, borrow more: This is the motto of companies that offer clothing for rent. With this they want to declare war on the fast-moving fashion market, which consumes a lot of resources – for the sake of the environment.
There is a large selection of shirts, trousers and jackets to rent for women. But you can also lease work clothes and suits online and in selected shops. For men, however, the offer is poor. Often the parts go back either after an agreed time or a specific occasion. If you pay a monthly fee, you will receive new parts in return.
Brigitte Zietlow from the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) considers these subscription models with a constant change of clothes in particular to be less sustainable. The expert cannot assess whether this really saves clothes. However, it also depends on the service life and intensity of the parts.
Some vendors repair the pieces on a regular basis
At the Hamburg company Unown Fashion, collections are not renewed every season according to their own statements. According to co-founder Linda Ahrens, the high-quality items of clothing are rented out until they can either no longer be repaired or have stains that cannot be removed. Then they are sold as second-hand goods.
The company was founded in 2019. This year some of the garments went into their third winter, says Ahrens. The founder cannot estimate how many seasons the goods will last.
But what about sending the clothes back and forth in the mail – doesn’t that negate the sustainability effect?
No, says Ahrens. “The effect that we achieve through longer wearing and our circular business model is much greater than the associated shipping emissions, which we as consumers often massively overestimate.”
Renting children’s and party clothing can make sense
Federal Environment Agency expert Zietlow, on the other hand, says that – depending on the rental model – rebound effects can occur. That means: The resource savings through the rental fashion are lost again elsewhere – for example through shipping. However, this effect is to be assessed less than, for example, with rental e-scooters.
A current study by the UBA shows that the greatest environmental impacts in online business result from the transport of the “last mile” and the shipping packaging.
Linda Ahrens wants packaging waste removed from her equation. At Unown Fashion, they only work with reusable mailing bags, without outer packaging.
From Brigitte Zietlow’s point of view, it is worth renting clothes that are only worn for a few occasions – such as party clothes. And for children’s clothing that is only worn for a short time due to growth. dpa
