For Lease

Industrial Ecology is closely related to biomimicry in that it mimics nature’s processes on an industrial scale. Building on last week’s concept of efficacy in design, this week I the concept of leasing programs. Instead of selling garments to consumers with no control over the full life-cycle, companies should implement programs where they take back the clothes when the consumer is “finished.” “The unspoken assumption of all textile practice is that it results in a finished product,” adds Bradey Quinn in Textile Futures. Returned garments will be rewarded with a discount on their next purchase. This would require from stores “substantial changes from retailers, redesigning their manufacturing expertise to also include repair, etc.” claims Kate Fletcher in Fashionable Fashion and Textiles. This concept can be supported by nature’s principles of using waste as a resource and using materials sparingly. As materials come back into the supply chain, less materials are consequently used and waste in the landfill diverted.