Going on a holiday or business trip to Japan? What and how much to pack for an impending trip and to be within permitted baggage weight is often a nightmare for most of us. Those stressful times can end for you if your next trip is to Japan- and your aircraft carrier is Japan Airlines (JAL).
For NZ$45 (approx), you can now ditch your bags and get a range of rental seasonal outfits to wear sent to your place of stay while you’re in Japan.
JAL, in collaboration with Sumitomo Corporation has just launched a trial of the ‘Any Wear, Anywhere’ service for passengers travelling to Japan by JAL- operated flights.
The trial-run of this service started on July 5 (Wednesday) and will continue until August 31 next year.
Logic behind this innovative service is to encourage passengers to travel with minimal luggage with an emphasis on sustainability. This clothing rentals at the destination service is expected to reduce the airline’s fuel consumption and associated carbon emissions.
While removing a few items of clothing from an aircraft may not sound like much, even small amounts of weight can make a big difference over long distances.
The airline estimates that a passenger who rents clothes instead of bringing their own can save up to 1 kilogram of CO2 emissions on a long-haul flight. The CO2 amount for 1 traveller on a one-way flight from Auckland to Tokyo, for example, is 1.4 tonnes.
When carried out at large scale, this pioneering way to reduce carbon emissions could prove to be very effective.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, 1.9 million overseas travellers visited Japan in May 2023, reaching almost 70% of the levels seen pre-pandemic. This influx in foreign visitors could provide enough users of the ‘Any Wear, Anywhere’ scheme for it to make a significant positive impact.
All outfit items offered for rent will be sourced from excess stock of fashion apparel and pre-owned clothing, thereby promoting the concept of a circular economy.
During the trial period, JAL will monitor changes in passengers’ checked-in baggage weight and verify the reduction effect of carbon dioxide emissions by reduced airplane weight due to use of this rental service.
Rental costs starts at NZ$45 (approx) and the most you may pay is NZ $79(approx). You can keep the apparels for up to two weeks.
Passengers intending to use this service must make reservations at least one month before their travel date and the clothing set will be delivered directly to their accommodation ready for their arrival in the country.
As well as the online reservation system, Sumitomo will oversee the procurement of clothing provided by Wefabrik, and laundry/delivery of the clothes by the dry cleaning company, Hakuyosha.
In addition to reducing aircraft carbon emissions, Sumitomo hopes that the scheme will help to cut down on clothing waste too, tackling the problem of so-called fast fashion.
If the service proves to be a success, Sumitomo may look at rolling it out to other Oneworld carriers- American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Malaysia Airlines currently flying to Japan.
– from NewsViews
