August 11, 2021

Eco-Friendly Fits

By Capri Hire
Eco-Friendly Fits

Renting a dress is really a win-win situation for everyone... Not only do you get to wear a gorgeous outfit, but you are also doing your part to help the environment and reduce the carbon footprint of the fashion industry.

The problem with fashion is that globally, 100 billion garments are produced per year. This is a massive 400% increase since 20 years ago. To top it off, 33% of this number goes into landfill within the first year of purchase.

Australians are actually the worst consumers of fashion - we each buy an average of 27kg of clothing per year and discard 23kg of that! In fact, EVERY 10 MINUTES, 6000kg of textiles and clothing are dumped in landfill in Australia.

Studies have actually revealed that 38% of young Australians bought HALF their wardrobe in the past year, indicating how we are the worst offenders with fast fashion, and the throw-away culture that it entails. 

So, why hire? 

The fashion industry is the world's second biggest polluter. Hiring a dress leads to a reduced consumption in the fashion industry, and ultimately decreases production. 

Less production = less fossil fuels and exploitation of resources.

Extending the life of a garment by just one year reduces its carbon footprint by 25%! By hiring a designer outfit, you are also more likely to be wearing a garment that is produced more ethically than a fast fashion giant like Shein or Pretty Little Thing.

More and more designer brands are doing their part to make the world healthier. Manning Cartell has begun manufacturing dresses made from recycled viscose and vegan leather. Many other brands, including Bec and Bridge have sustainability initiatives which include using plant-based packaging, incorporating recycling initiatives to reduce/ reuse fabric waste and working to eliminate plastic.

What is Capri Hire doing to help?

At the beginning of 2021, Capri Hire implemented HeroPack packaging for all posted orders. HeroPack satchels are 100% biodegradable, made from plant-based materials like cornstarch. These bags are also reusable as they have a double adhesive strip, so we only need to send one bag to customers rather than two! 

Since using HeroPack, we have sent hundreds of outfits using this packaging, meaning that there are hundreds less plastic packages in the environment than there would have been if we hadn't implemented this strategy.

The packaging is compostable, so we have peace of mind knowing that we are doing our part in reducing plastic in landfill.

Everyday, we are thinking of more ways to incorporate green initiatives into our day to day business running. We can't wait to update you on new strategies in the future.

We hope you love hiring with us, and you can feel even better in your next outfit knowing that you are helping our planet.