Can a clothing-sharing app really have a positive impact on the environment?
The fashion industry has a sustainability problem. This isn’t news to most of us. It is estimated that half of what is produced by the fast fashion industry is disposed of in just under a year. And, fast fashion is producing a lot. “Over 100 billion new garments from new fibres every single year” in fact, says ethical living journalist, Lucy Siegle. As consumers, we seem to be adding fuel to the fire. We wear our garments, on average, 36% less before we cease to use them than we did just 15 years ago.
Where do we go from here? There are opportunities to reduce the negative impact of fashion on the environment in various segments of the industry. From sourcing to production, to retail to the way we use and dispose of our clothes. In order to have a significant impact, it is safe to assume that change needs to happen at every level. We know that the current industry model needs a serious overhaul and there’s no time like the present to get started.
Consumers have shifting ideals
If the fashion industry needs a revolution, why should clothing rental apps be on the frontlines? Well, for one, consumers are hungry for change. According to an annual report by Lyst, online searches for keywords related to secondhand clothing increased by 105% this past year. Meanwhile, Thredup predicts the resale market will hit $64 billion dollars by 2024. As the retail industry has slumped and suffered, the resale market is thriving.
Clothing sharing-apps help facilitate sales within this market and make circular fashion more accessible to consumers who are looking for upcycled and secondhand clothing. With access to wardrobes of other community members, clothing sharing-app users can support a more sustainable approach to fashion without compromising on their desire to explore new trends and inject variety into their personal style.
Clothing-sharing apps and the environment
Rental fashion is not a perfect solution for the environment. However, from a sustainability perspective, there are many upsides to the model. Wardrobe sharing means we need to purchase less and each item of clothing gets more use before it is disposed of. In short, it works to shift the pendulum of increased production and decreased use in the other direction. More work needs to be done to quantify the impact of the rental fashion market so that leaders in the space can continue to find ways to make fashion more sustainable.
Clothing-sharing apps are one piece of a larger puzzle
Clothing-sharing apps are a step in the right direction but in order for us to make major strides towards repairing the damage that has been done, we need change at every level. We could be ideating for decades on how to solve the sustainability problems within the fashion industry before we come up with a perfect model for change. But, here’s the deal - it’s too late for that. We need progress, not perfection and we need it now. At ReSuit we are aiming to take small steps in the right direction every single day. We hope you will join us.