A few weeks ago a picture from the dusty Atacama Desert in Chile found its way onto the Internet.

It showed meter-high mountains full of jeans, sweaters, T-shirts and shoes.

The gigantic garbage dump now holds 39,000 tons of old clothes.

The outcry on social media was great: It was shocking or simply sad, it said in many comments and posts.

And for a long time there has been a demand to put an end to "fast fashion", i.e. the fast pace of the fashion industry.

Antonia Mannweiler

Editor in business.

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According to analysts from Research and Markets, the global fast fashion market was worth around $ 65 billion last year. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the industry was responsible for emissions of 2.1 billion tons of greenhouse gases in 2018, around four percent of total global emissions. On the other hand, only just under a fifth of all clothing waste in the world is recycled. The rest ends up in landfills or is incinerated.

A concept that tries to enable more sustainable consumption is summarized under the keyword “circular economy”. For example, the lifespan of products should be extended by changing owners more often, thus maximizing the useful life. Consumers can already rent handbags, iPhones, furniture or bicycles - and often for exactly as long as they use them. The concept goes further than classic leasing, in which cars are rented out monthly for a period of two years. Most leasing products are new; In the case of offers from the circular economy, on the other hand, the products may have already changed hands three or five times. And the duration is also determined more flexibly.

In America, the fashion rental company Rent the Runway, which was founded in 2009, went public at the end of October.

It is currently valued at more than $ 800 million.

According to the World Economic Forum, the circular economy could add $ 4.5 trillion in economic value worldwide by 2030.

It's about more conscious consumer decisions

Unown is one of the companies that declare war on fast fashion. Clothing from blazers to leggings can be leased on the platform of the Hamburg-based company. There are over 70 brands in the range, many of them sustainable or certified. It's about making more sustainable and conscious consumer decisions without just giving up, says Linda Ahrens, co-founder of Unown on the phone. If you are completely honest, very little is really worn out of the wardrobe. Studies have estimated that 40 percent of the items in a wardrobe are only worn two to three times, according to Ahrens.

The concept of Unown is classified as a leasing, since the monthly fee is always offset against the purchase price.

This gives users the opportunity to buy the pieces if they like them.

That is done a lot, says Ahrens.

You see a lot of customers who make an informed purchase decision and want to try out two or three pieces first.

On the platform, they can lease items of clothing or bags for two weeks or longer.

Prices vary depending on whether a subscription is taken out or pieces are borrowed once.

If an item of clothing is returned damaged, calculate the residual value.

Customers do not pay anything for minor signs of use.