Compared to buying cheap babygrows and then throwing them in the bin, renting baby clothes will only(!) help you save the planet and the people on it. But if you’re already looking for a more sustainable way of shopping and are looking at secondhand or sustainably made new clothes, renting has even more great benefits.
Save time vs shopping secondhand
If you’ve been spending time trawling through the endless second hand clothing sites, you’ll know it can be really difficult to find the clothes you need, that you also like, in the right size, at the right time. There are loads of cheap high street bundles available but if you’re looking for something a bit more stylish, then it can take ages to find the right thing. Not to mention the time it takes to list and manage items if you’re selling them on. Rental makes it easy as there’s just one place where you can find all the clothes you need for your little one with a great selection of beautiful, sustainable brands. Then just post them back with the prepaid returns label when you’re finished. So you’ve got even more time to spend having those tiny cuddles.
Save money vs shopping new
You might have noticed that new organic cotton baby clothes are not cheap. There are perfectly good reasons for this - see our post here on Why organic cotton is best. But it does mean that you could end up paying £445 for a fairly modest 18 item wardrobe in one size. That’s £1780 on clothes in your baby’s first year. Whereas when you rent with Borro, we charge around 10% of the retail price per month. Seeing as you only need each item for about three months, you’ll only ever pay around 30% of the retail price. Which gives you a saving of £1246 in your first year! That’s a pretty nice holiday...
Save space
You may have noticed that babies, although small, take up a lot of space. Cot, bouncer, playmat, toys, clothes… And unless you are very organised, soon enough your loft will be stuffed full of too small clothes which need to be sorted then stored, or donated, or gifted, or recycled - phew! Whereas with rental you just have the clothes you need, when you need them.
Save the planet
To get into the nitty gritty of this you can read more about exactly why Renting is sustainable, but briefly:
- Renting, in the same way as resell, reduces the need for new clothes
- Unlike resell, renting extends the lifespan of a garment with professional cleaning and repairs
- Renting keeps clothes in constant circulation, not idling in the loft, reducing the demand for new items
- Renting organic cotton is much better for the environment than conventional cotton
- Many of the clothes donated to charity shops are shipped overseas where they harm developing countries’ economies by flooding them with cheap goods. We take care of the whole lifecycle of a product, recycling it locally when it’s no longer wearable.
Save people
At Borro we only stock brands who use sustainable materials and who care about the way their clothes are made. This means a better life for farmers and garment workers whose great skill actually creates the clothes we take for granted. To find out more about the ethical practices for each brand, read Our brands page.
