Environmental implication of casual wear rental services: Case of Japan and Germany

Abstract As an emerging product-service system (PSS) and part of a growing sharing economy, rental services of casual clothing for women are becoming increasingly common in many countries around the world. Rental services of casual and formal wear have the potential to reduce the life cycle environmental impact compared to the conventional ownership model of consumption. However, the environmental impact of rental services highly depends on the structure of business models and the resulting consumption patterns, which therefore makes the environmental benefit uncertain. To clarify the environmental implication of casual wear PSS, we analyzed the business model of providing companies in Germany and Japan through media research and interviews with the business providers. We performed a simple life cycle assessment of representative business models in each country. Our results show that it is necessary to increase the number of times a garment is worn when rented to achieve environmental benefits. These benefits are more significant for formal garments, which are infrequently worn for specific occasions than for a T-Shirt.