airCloset's Fashion Rental Business Selected for Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Circular Economy Promotion Subsidy Program

Amidst the growing importance of reducing clothing waste and circulating resources in Japan, policies and initiatives are being advanced to transition towards a circular economy. Against this backdrop, airCloset, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Satoshi Amanuma) has had its men's fashion rental business (scheduled to launch in Spring 2026) selected for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Circular Economy Promotion Subsidy Program.

airCloset has previously developed a circular consumption model through fashion rental, and its decarbonization and resource circulation effects have been estimated in a demonstration project by the Ministry of the Environment. Moving forward, the company will continue to contribute to the promotion of the circular economy in Japan by working to establish circular consumption.

■ The Growing Need for Circular Consumption in Fashion Amidst the Transition to a Circular Economy

In Japan, approximately 480,000 tons* of clothing are discarded annually, accounting for the majority of clothing disposed of by households. Much of this is incinerated or landfilled, posing environmental challenges. This is equivalent to the amount discarded by about 130 large trucks every day.

In response to this situation, the government has declared a transition to a circular economy and is promoting policies to enhance resource circulation and reduce waste. In the fashion sector, there is a demand to shift from a mass-production, mass-consumption structure to a consumption model based on resource circulation. In this context, services such as fashion rental are gaining attention as an alternative to purchase-dependent consumption, offering a "circular consumption" option.

Furthermore, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is implementing subsidy programs to support the social implementation of the circular economy. Under these policy trends, airCloset's fashion rental business has been selected for this subsidy program as a resource-circulating business.

*Source: Ministry of the Environment, "Outline of the Report on the Survey Project for Promoting Circular Fashion in FY2024" (Material Flow)

■ Promoting the Social Implementation of Circular Consumption by Leveraging the Foundation of Resource-Circulating Business

airCloset has established a foundation that supports resource-circulating business, integrating clothing cleaning, maintenance, inventory management, shipping, and returns. This foundation enables the provision of circular services that repeatedly utilize clothing, developing a new consumption style through fashion rental.

In the fashion rental business, the environmental impact reduction effects (19% reduction in CO2 emissions, 27% reduction in waste generation) achieved through this system have been estimated in a demonstration project* by the Ministry of the Environment. Furthermore, when items handled by the service are no longer available for rental, they are resold or recycled, achieving zero clothing waste.

Going forward, airCloset aims to establish circular consumption by providing services based on this clothing circulation model and contribute to the further promotion of resource circulation.

*Source: Ministry of the Environment, "Report on the Demonstration and Verification Consignment Business for Promoting the Construction of Decarbonized 2R Businesses Utilizing Digital Technology in FY2022"

airCloset, Inc.

The operating company of Japan's first and largest monthly subscription fashion rental service specializing in everyday wear for women, 'airCloset'. Through 'personal styling' where stylists select clothes that suit customers, we provide women across the country with the experience of discovering new fashion. We also operate multiple services, including the manufacturer-approved monthly rental mall 'airCloset Mall', which allows customers to try products before purchasing, by leveraging our uniquely built circular platform.
airCloset delivers 'sustainable and exciting encounters with good things' centered around sharing that circulates things.

＜airCloset Services＞
Monthly fashion rental service 'airCloset': https://www.air-closet.com/
Manufacturer-approved monthly rental mall 'airCloset Mall': https://mall.air-closet.com/
Pay-per-use fashion rental service 'airCloset Spot Rental': https://www.air-closet.com/spot-rental/
Bone structure and color diagnosis salon 'airCloset Salon': https://www.air-closet.com/salon/

＜Company Overview＞
Company Name: airCloset, Inc.
Established: July 15, 2014
Representative: Satoshi Amanuma, President and CEO
Officers: Yusuke Maekawa, Vice President; Shoichi Kotani, Director
Outside Directors: Kentaro Sakakibara; Masanori Tsukimori; Tomoyuki Takeichi
Location: 5F, KD Minami-Aoyama Bldg., 3-1-31 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062
URL: https://corp.air-closet.com