This Airline Wants You to Pack Nothing but Your Socks and Underwear
Japan Airlines is launching a new clothing-rental initiative in the name of sustainability.
When you visit a country, you don't physically move your house to stay in it while you're there, do you? And you probably don't pack groceries and meals for the whole duration of your trip, right? Now, take it a step further—what if you didn't have to pack anything (or almost anything) at all?
In the name of sustainability and green travel, Japan Airlines is coming to us with an oddly intriguing suggestion. Don't pack your clothes, rather just rent them locally—and help decrease CO2 emissions in the process.
It isn't a joke. The airline, together with Sumitomo Corporation, is now launching the trial of its new "Any Wear, Anywhere" clothing sharing service, dubbed the Service, which is made for all tourists and business travelers heading to Japan on Japan Airlines flights. With the new service, One Mile at a Time reports the airline is trying to achieve sustainability goals—if travelers pack more lightly (as in, just the necessary items you are not going to rent, like socks and underwear), planes will benefit from the lighter weight, which will decrease carbon dioxide emissions.
The rented clothes themselves will also have sustainability in mind. All clothing items available for rent will be either pre-owned or they will come from excess stock of apparel, which in either case will serve the purpose of creating a circular economy system. Sumitomo will take care of the reservation system as well as the procurement, cleaning, and delivery of rented clothes, and passengers won't need to worry about anything else.
The trial period will go from today, July 5, through August 31, 2024, and travelers can already take advantage of the service. All you need to do is visit the "Any Wear, Anywhere" reservation website right here, and head over to the reservation page. Once there, select the clothing that you're looking for (items are available depending on season, reason for visit, and more), enter your Japan Airlines flight booking number, pickup and return date of your clothes, as well as details about the destinations where you'd like to pick up (and then return) your clothes. According to the website, rates for clothing sets start from ¥5,000 (roughly $35) Finally, pay the fee, and you're all set. Just remember to reserve your clothing set at least one month in advance—and definitely pack lighter!
For more information and to try the new service, you can visit this website.