Fashion sharing service for everyday clothes to decarbonize and reduce clothing waste

Technology and business model

airCloset offers a subscription-based service that allows customers to rent and enjoy outfits coordinated by professional stylists based on their body type, preferences, and intended usage[6]. The service is accessible nationwide in Japan with a simple online registration. Customers can enjoy the delivered clothing, return it, and receive their next set of outfits within a few days. Returned items go through inspection, cleaning, maintenance, and restocking before being circulated to the next customer. Additionally, customers can choose to purchase items they particularly like, reducing household clothing waste by allowing them to try items in their daily lives before committing to a purchase.

Leveraging the systems established through airCloset, we have expanded our product lineup to include not only everyday and work attire but also formal dresses for occasions such as weddings[8], as well as limited-edition items inspired by Disney characters, like "bound" outfits that capture the essence of the Disney universe[7].

Achievements and goals

Results

In the baseline scenario, users retain all clothing they purchase and dispose of it as combustible waste after use. In contrast, the fashion rental model—where users own fewer clothes and rent items through airCloset—has demonstrated significant environmental benefits. A study estimating the environmental impact of these models, which also accounted for the emissions from delivery during the rental process, found that the fashion rental service resulted in a 19% reduction in CO2 emissions and a 27% reduction in waste generation by curbing overproduction and disposal of clothing[1].

Furthermore, airCloset has achieved zero clothing waste from its operations through several initiatives[2]. These include offering "Eco Sales," which make items no longer available for rental available to members at discounted prices, forming partnerships with secondary distributors, and recycling clothing into circular textile boards. The Eco Sale initiative, initially available only to members, has been expanded into a corporate collaboration project and is now conducted with 55 companies (as of December 2024)[3]. Additionally, airCloset has launched various efforts to promote the circular economy in partnership with other organizations. For instance, the company collaborates with JUN Group[4] (150 stores nationwide) and Tomorrowland (91 stores nationwide) to repurpose apparel items previously used as uniforms by sales staff for airCloset rentals[5].

[1] 2022 “Demonstration Project on the Effectiveness of Decarbonized Resource Recycling Business Using Digital Technology.”

Targets

Through a demonstration project conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment, airCloset has been estimated to provide significant environmental benefits per user: approximately 26 kg-CO2 in annual CO2 emission reductions and around 2.5 kg in annual waste emission reductions. With a projected membership goal of 42,000 users by the end of the fiscal year ending in June 2025, the company aims to achieve an annual total reduction of approximately 1,092,000 kg-CO2 in CO2 emissions and a reduction of approximately 105,000 kg in waste emissions through its fashion rental service[1].

Reference URL

[1] Ministry of the Environment's Demonstration Project to Showcase the Decarbonization and

Resource Recycling Benefits of Fashion Rental Services:

https://corp.air-closet.com/news/press-release/230523/

[2] airCloset Achieves Zero Clothing Disposal through Recycling by Rental:

https://corp.air-closet.com/news/press-release/220224/

[3] Expansion of “Eco Sale,” a sustainable sales event, into a corporate collaboration project:

https://corp.air-closet.com/news/press-release/230927/

[4] Full-scale launch of the industry's first garment sharing initiative for apparel salespeople, which has been developed in cooperation with the JUN Group:

https://corp.air-closet.com/news/press-release/0914/

[5] Tomorrowland Participates in Clothing Sharing Initiative for Apparel Salespeople:

https://corp.air-closet.com/news/press-release/231025/

[6] Monthly fashion rental service “airCloset”:

https://www.air-closet.com/

[7] Disney FASHION CLOSET - Fashion rental of Disney items:

https://disney.air-closet.com/

[8] Dress rental service airCloset Dress:

https://dress.air-closet.com/