Rent your clothes, lower your travel footprint

Not a bad way to cut the co2 footprint of your travels: fly without a suitcase and rent your clothes from a department store at your destination. It is possible now in Japan.

The idea of Japan Airlines is to reduce its carbon emissions by getting passengers to bring fewer clothes. After all: less suitcases means less weight to carry on a flight, equaling less fuel to burn.

To make this work, the airline is teaming up with Sumitomo Corporation. Their ‘Any Wear, Anywhere’ initiative allows passengers to rent a bundle of clothing in advance, which can then be delivered to their hotel or Airbnb on arrival in Japan.

In the summer trial period, passengers can order up to nine items of clothing for rent and keep these for up to two weeks. This includes a mix of tops, bottoms, and outerwear. Each selection of outfits is filtered by season, occasion, and size – prices start at $28 for five items.

According to a report by Business Insider, the impact will be measured by the amount of checked-in baggage. If a passenger ‘travels light’ even on a long-haul trip, it means that he or she has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by opting for this service.