Mother Teresa
I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.
It always warms my heart when I hear that a business is adapting a function that supports sustainability and green business. That’s why the recent article in Forbes.com, “Subscriptions: The Next Frontier in Environmental Sustainability” by Jeffrey Wissink caught my eye. In the article, Wissink describes companies that are allowing consumers to subscribe for products that they can use as needed and return at an allotted time. The concept is genius. Rather than purchase something you will rarely use, you can rent it from the company and return it, which Wissink points out, reduces waste. Consumers will not demand more of a product than needed. I think it is fair to say that waste is a huge contributor to harming the environment.
This concept is win-win for all involved. Businesses have the advantage of “predictable revenue” that allows for better planning and consumers can reduce the number of items they store that they rarely use. (Wissink) I happen to be one of these subscribers and I must say I love the idea. I subscribe to a site called Rent The Runway, which allows you to rent designer evening gowns, dresses, accessories, and ready to wear fashion. I have a minimum of 5 black tie events a year, and buying dresses for every event was so wasteful. I was spending thousands of dollars on dresses I only wore once, and wound up taking up too much closet space. Once I discovered this site, I was able to rent an entire assemble for my events for a fraction of the cost to purchase it, while not having to keep it all stuffed in my closet. Also, each time I rented instead of purchased, was a time where more resources were not used to produce an item.
Now that I am aware that their are more companies offering these services, I am going to find what fits my lifestyle and be sure to subscribe!
