Any Wear, Anywhere: Japan Airlines’ Innovative Solution to Reduce Carbon Emissions

In an innovative move to cut its carbon emissions, Japan Airlines has begun. For the purpose of providing visitors with a clothes rental service, the airline has partnered with Sumitomo, one of Japan’s largest firms. The idea behind the service, which is aptly named Any Wear, Anywhere, is to encourage travellers to travel with less luggage, which will lower the airline’s fuel use and carbon emissions.

How does “Any Wear, Anywhere” Operate?
Passengers can pre-book the rental service starting today by visiting the Any Wear, Anywhere website. The items will be shipped directly to the traveler’s lodging so they are ready for them when they arrive in the nation if they provide their flight information, clothing size, duration of stay, and season at least one month in advance.

Visitors can rent up to eight outfits for a period of up to two weeks for a price ranging from 4,000 ($28) to 7,000 ($48), depending on the quantity of things. Together with the dry cleaning business Hakuyosha and the apparel supplier Wefabrik, Sumitomo also manages the acquisition, laundering, and delivery of the items in addition to the online reservation system.

Up to August 2024, the trial will only be available to travellers who arrive in the nation via flights operated by Japan Airlines. But if the service is well received, Sumitomo might consider making it available to other oneworld carriers as well. Currently, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Malaysia Airlines are among the oneworld carriers that fly to Japan.

The transition to sustainability by Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines wants to increase the amount of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) it uses as part of its Vision 2030 programme. However, due to present supply restrictions, the airline is looking into further measures to lower its carbon footprint.
Even while eliminating a few pieces of clothing from an aircraft might not seem like much, even tiny weight reductions over long distances can add up. Every kilogramme of weight removed from a flight between Tokyo (HND) and New York (JFK), according to Japan Airlines, lowers the aircraft’s carbon emissions by 0.75 kg.

Additionally, the programme may prove to be quite successful if implemented widely. The Japan National Tourism Organisation estimates that 1.9 million foreign visitors came to Japan in May 2023, which is roughly 70% more than was the case before the pandemic. With the help of the country’s fully reopened borders, this surge of foreign tourists may offer enough participants for the Any Wear, Anywhere programme to have a big positive effect.
Sumitomo thinks that the programme will help reduce garment waste as well as aviation carbon emissions, addressing the issue of “fast fashion.”