Japan Airlines to rent out holiday wardrobe to its passengers—a game-changer in green aviation

A reminder to pack light!

- Akanksha Narang
Jul 15, 2023

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Everyone has a different travel style and personality. You may like having laidback, luxurious vacations, while your friend may be an adventure-seeking nomad. You may choose to go for wellness retreats, while your friend may perceive a holiday as the perfect opportunity to let their hair down.

While travelling soothes our souls, the carbon emissions resulting from our sojourns have the opposite effect on our planet. With millennials and GenZs becoming more aware of the pressing need for sustainability, eco-tourism has emerged as a huge travel pattern.

Japan Airlines’ recently launched ’Any Wear, Anywhere’ campaign, which allows passengers to rent clothing during their stay in Japan, is a step in that direction. Under this initiative, you can simply pack a few essentials in an overnight bag, and set off to sipping matcha lattes in Kyoto. What’s more, you can rent clothes depending on the season and occasion. You will be required to book your holiday wardrobe at least a month in advance and provide your flight and accommodation details.

The airline aims to provide a travel experience with minimal luggage and contribute to sustainable tourism.

How conscious flying can help?

As per GlobalData’s 2021 consumer survey, the buying/spending decisions of 76 per cent of people across the world are influenced by how ethical or conscious the product or service is. According to a 2022 study titled ‘Green Aviation in India: Airline's Implementation for Achieving Sustainability’, the airline industry will contribute to about 15–25 per cent of global CO2 emissions by 2050. This is set to dangerously exceed carbon budgets.

Thus, frequent flyers are looking to reduce their carbon footprint by opting for conscious travel. With this service, Japan Airlines is not only investing in load optimization, but also indirectly positively impacting the excessive consumerism pre-holiday shopping can result in.

From using only biodegradable packaging for in-flight sales and serving to providing locally-sourced foods, airlines are going far and beyond to make flying green.

Where does India stand?

India is on board with agreed contributing to the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). This requires all stakeholders to cut off carbon emissions by implementing various measures like Japan Airlines is doing. However, India is not far behind as various airlines are already making their way to green aviation! Indigo has launched an aircraft that runs on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Spice Jet is aiming to fly 100 billion passengers on SAF by 2030. GoAir is using “artificial intelligence to improve the operational efficiencies in fleet, route, and load optimisation”, as per the above-mentioned study.

While this big move by Japan Airlines is not yet replicated by any other company in the aviation industry, if it becomes successful, it has the potential to change the way we travel by air. Packing light is the new black and repeating outfits is the ethical way forward. It also makes one wonder, do we really need that many changes of clothes?