Can rental platforms contribute to more sustainable fashion consumption? Evidence from a mixed-method study
Can rental platforms contribute to more sustainable fashion consumption? Evidence from a mixed-method study
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租赁平台能否促进更可持续的时尚消费？
DOI：
10.1016/j.clrc.2023.100103
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发表时间：
2023
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Kimita Koji
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Amasawa Eri;Brydges Taylor;Henninger Claudia E.;Kimita Koji
这项研究提供了一个加拿大时尚租赁平台的案例研究，利用了两个独特而又互补的数据集：基于对租赁平台企业家的半结构化访谈的定性分析，以及对这些平台提供的11个模拟服装设计的生命周期评估(LCA)。快时尚不仅让服装更容易接触到社会各个阶层，还让它们变得更一次性。为了应对时尚的可持续性问题，租赁平台正在成为一种潜在的解决方案。虽然时尚租赁平台经常被描述为“可持续的替代品”，但它们的商业实践和量化影响在很大程度上仍未得到检验。这项研究提出了四个问题来解决这一差距：1)时尚租赁平台的创业者如何看待他们所提供的服务对增强可持续性的贡献？2)租赁平台的物品购买标准是什么，以及它们与时尚消费的环境可持续性的关系？3)服装类型、季节、面料组成和风格等因素如何影响服装在拥有和租赁时的温室气体(GHG)排放？4)商业实践和环境影响证据之间的研究差距是什么？为了回答这些问题，我们结合了对租赁企业家和LCA的半结构化采访。访谈提供了对时装租赁运营及其原因的基本了解，有助于使用LCA建模租赁服装的环境影响。因此，定性的研究结果表明，租赁企业家认识到提供租赁服务本身有助于可持续时尚。从LCA来看，服装的具体温室气体含量因设计和纤维含量的不同而有很大差异。当将自有和租用进行比较时，租用的衣服在干洗时每件衣服的生命周期温室气体更多。此外，通过租用连衣裙等方式增加终生穿着的服装，每穿一次的温室气体排放量也大大减少。我们的混合方法研究表明，有必要进一步分析服装类别对消费者行为、反弹效应和租赁平台服装设计的作用。
This study presents a case study of fashion rental platforms in Canada, drawing upon two unique, yet complementary, datasets: a qualitative analysis based upon semi-structured interviews with the rental platform entrepreneurs and a life cycle assessment (LCA) of 11 garment designs simulating garments offered by the platforms. Fast fashion has not only made garments more accessible to all parts of society, but also made them more disposable. To counteract the sustainability issue of fashion, rental platforms are emerging as a potential solution. While fashion rental platforms are often described as being “sustainable alternatives”, their business practices and the quantitative impact remains largely untested. This study posed four research questions to address this gap: 1) How do fashion rental platform entrepreneurs see their contribution to enhance sustainability with their provided service?,2) What are the item purchase criteria of rental platforms and their relation to environmental sustainability of fashion consumption?, 3) How do factors such as garment type, season, fabric composition and style influence the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a garment when owned versus rented?, 4) What are the research gaps between business practices and evidence of environmental impact? To answer these questions, we combined semi-structured interviews with rental entrepreneurs and an LCA. The interviews provided basic understanding in fashion rental operations and their reasons, which assisted in modeling the environmental impact of rented garments using LCA. As a result, qualitative findings indicate that rental entrepreneurs recognize provision of rental service itself contributes to sustainable fashion. From the LCA, the embodied GHG of garments varied significantly depending on the design and fiber content. When owning and renting were compared, rented garments had a greater life cycle GHG per piece when the garment is dry-cleaned. Also, the GHG emission per wear is tremendously reduced for garments that increase lifetime wear through renting such as dresses. Our mixed-method study suggests the need to further analyze the role of the garment category to consumer behavior, rebound effects, and garment design for rental platforms.