A new study from Australia’s leading peer-to-peer fashion rental platform, The Volte, reveals that renting clothing can reduce environmental impact by up to 78% per wear compared to owning. The research, conducted by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), highlights how fashion rental offers both sustainability and access to luxury fashion—without the need to buy.
Titled How Australian women bought less but had more, the study is the first of its kind in Australia to assess the environmental and social outcomes of peer-to-peer clothing rental. Using ISO-standard life cycle assessment methods, researchers analyzed the behavior of 908 renters from The Volte’s community of over 300,000 active monthly users.
Results show that the climate impact of a rented garment is 44% to 78% lower, depending on how many times it’s rented out. This impact is especially important in occasion wear, where many garments are worn once and stored away.
If we’re serious about reducing fashion’s environmental footprint, increasing clothing utilization through rental must be front and center of the solution.
Bernadette Olivier, CEO and cofounder of The Volte
Founded in 2017, The Volte has grown to become the world’s largest peer-to-peer fashion rental platform, specializing in designer and event wear. The platform hosts over 70,000 luxury fashion pieces and connects renters with nearly 15,000 Australian lenders, including more than 270 “Super Lenders” earning between AUD 50,000 and AUD 200,000 per year by sharing their wardrobes.
Rental prices range from AUD 50 to AUD 3,500, with the most expensive listing—a wedding dress—valued at AUD 28,000. The Volte’s users are primarily women aged 20 to 40, seeking high-end fashion without the environmental and financial cost of ownership.
Associate Professor Timo Rissanen of UTS, who led the study, emphasized that switching from ownership to access is key:
We can drastically cut production, waste, and emissions across the supply chain.
Associate Professor Timo Rissanen of UTS
The findings support national sustainability goals under Seamless, Australia’s clothing product stewardship scheme launched in July 2024. Seamless aims to divert 120,000 tonnes of clothing from landfills by 2027, promoting circular fashion models like rental. Retailers including The Iconic, David Jones, BigW, and R.M. Williams are among its 56 members, alongside over 120 supporting organizations.
Australia currently ranks among the world’s top consumers of fashion, with the average person buying 53 garments each year. By making luxury fashion more accessible while reducing waste, platforms like The Volte are helping shift consumer behavior—and driving the move toward a more sustainable future in fashion.
