If there is one constant thing that is at the frontline of global conversations, it is the environmental challenges. The world is grappling with numerous environmental difficulties, starting from different types of pollution to climate change to inefficient waste management. The world of fashion has always been in the news due to its unsustainable practices. While many renowned fashion brands have taken steps to reduce their contribution toward environmental damage, experts say that it is not enough to safeguard our environment and planet.
Such a circumstance has necessitated businesses and people to become mindful of their carbon footprints and simultaneously make more sustainable choices. In the fashion world, an extremely significant shift has happened with respect to renting dresses rather than buying. Though people have always loved buying new dresses for a special occasion, renting dresses is becoming increasingly popular among many. The main reason behind its rising reputation among fashion enthusiasts goes beyond mere style. As we are experiencing rising economic concerns across the globe, renting a dress is without a doubt an affordable option for many. But, would it be foolish to overlook the sustainable influence of dress renting at a time when environmental concerns are rising almost every day?
If you are someone who thinks that renting a dress rather than buying can truly make a difference for our environment, then keep reading. This blog will concentrate on delving into the different aspects of renting dresses that make this act more sustainable than buying one. Let’s dig deep!
Keeping Clothing Waste in Check
Every industry contributes to environmental damage in one way or the other. The fashion industry is no exception. One aspect through which the fashion sector contributes vastly toward environmental damage is the abundant clothing waste it generates. This has remained a major concern for this industry and environmental specialists are constantly talking about this. Every year, this sector is responsible for generating millions of tons of waste. The final destination of this waste is often landfills that do not have a proper waste management solution in place. So ultimately, clothing waste is contributing heavily toward the damage to our environment. There are many people who wear a dress only a few times before throwing it out. Besides, many just buy a dress for a single special event that they never wear again. In addition to this, there is waste coming from all garment factories.
So, is renting a dress a solution to reducing clothing waste? To some extent, yes, it is. Consumers don't have any control over the clothing waste that comes from manufacturing units. But, they can certainly make some earth-conscious choices to minimize their waste contribution in the fashion sector. The ideal way to do it is by renting a dress. For a special occasion, now an individual has an alternative option of renting a desired dress instead of buying one that he or she will wear only one time. This means that instead of throwing the dress out after a single use, a person can return it to a rental business, which can then rent it out to someone else. This way, every consumer can reduce his or her contribution toward clothing waste. The same concept can be applied to the fashion items we buy and wear only a few times. From this perspective, undeniably, renting a dress seems more earth-friendly than buying one. All one needs is the satisfaction of being fashionable by wearing a trending dress and they can have that by renting it instead of buying it.
Diminishing Fast Fashion’s Demand
Fast fashion is now considered another chief contributor to environmental degradation. To understand how, one must first comprehend the concept of fast fashion. It is when a fashion company manufactures a vast amount of low-cost clothing through a rapid production procedure. In such cases, fashion companies use low-quality synthetic fabrics. This type of fabric takes a long time to break down, which is extremely harmful to our environment. Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge the fact that we are living in a time when fashion trends are changing every now and then. This allows fashion companies to produce clothes in bulk amounts in a short time period. This keeps happening whenever a new trend hits the market. The final outcome of such a rapid rate of manufacturing is overproduction. Those items that are left unsold due to overproduction become waste.
Renting offers a favorable solution to this over-production problem. When you rent dresses instead of buying, there is always enough for everyone. Besides, it also supports the notion of less manufacturing. When a trendy dress is on rent, many people can acquire it when they need it. There is no need to buy one every time and rather, renting gives an individual the freedom to flaunt their style with every trending dress without spending much. This reduces the burden of the fashion industry on waste generation. Renting will also ensure that you are wearing a good-quality dress instead of a low-quality fast-fashion dress. So, everybody wins.
Minimizing Consumption of Resources
How many times have you seen someone else wearing the same skirt or dress? It happens often, doesn’t it? However, when you rent a dress, the likelihood of seeing too many people in the same one decreases significantly. You may recognize the dress later when someone else rents it, but not at the same time as you. The main reason behind this is that the dress has been manufactured in a limited quantity. Dress-renting allows every fashion business to manufacture clothes in limited quantities without the worry of facing loss. This means that these companies would require fewer raw materials than before in their manufacturing process. Thus, when a fashion company uses fewer resources, they are being more sustainable than before. This is how less production contributes to less usage of raw materials, making a company eco-friendlier than before. Thus, renting dresses is clearly a more sustainable option than buying.
To Sum Up
Every industry is dealing with its contribution to environmental degradation in different ways. For the fashion industry, a sustainable choice is definitely renting out their manufactured clothes instead of selling them all the time, making dress-renting an environment-friendlier option than purchasing.