Don’t Buy Those Expensive Jeans — Lease Them...

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Your daily source of inspiration for creative reuse and mindful consumption.

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[Background on, & press coverage of, Unconsumption can be found here and here.]

Consumption is a word used to describe acts of acquisition – generally, the acquisition of things, in exchange for money.

Unconsumption is a word used to describe everything that happens after an act of acquisition.

Unconsumption is an invisible badge.

Unconsumption means the accomplishment of properly recycling your old cellphone, rather than the guilt of letting it sit in a drawer.

Unconsumption means the thrill of finding a new use for something that you were about to throw away.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a service like Freecycle (or Craigslist, Goodwill, or Salvation Army) to find a new home for the functioning DVD player you just replaced, rather than throwing it in the garbage.

Unconsumption means enjoying the things you own to the fullest – not just at the moment of acquisition.

Unconsumption means the pleasure of using a pair of sneakers until they are truly worn out – as opposed to the nagging feeling of defeat when they simply go out of style.

Unconsumption means feeling good about the simple act of turning off the lights when you leave the room.

Unconsumption is not about the rejection of things, or the demonization of things. It’s not a bunch of rules.

Unconsumption is an idea, a set of behaviors, a way of thinking about consumption itself from a new perspective.

Unconsumption is free.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Founder & Editor: Rob Walker, journalist, Savannah, GA

Editorial & Community Manager: Molly Block, marketing and business development geek, Houston, TX

Brian W. Jones, designer & writer, Göteborg, Sweden

Kashvi Kumar, Environmental Studies and Economics major at New York University

Deirdre Nelson, ever threading artist, Glasgow, Scotland

Shanna Trenholm, writer. catalyst. force of nature. San Diego, CA

* * *

Alumnus & Unconsumption logo creator: Clifton Burt, graphic designer, Portland, OR

Further information about Unconsumption can be found here.

9:22 am - Wed, Feb 27, 2013: 208 notes

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Don’t Buy Those Expensive Jeans — Lease Them Instead

A new program in the Netherlands helps you eliminate wasteful spending on clothes. Instead of owning a pair of jeans for life, you can now just keep them for a year before you send them back to be recycled so you can try something new.

Companies normally use a leasing model for durable goods, such as cars or heavy machinery. But Dutch entrepreneur Bert van Son thinks it could have a role for other products, too—like jeans.

A few weeks ago, Van Son, who owns a small line called Mud Jeans, launched a new service allowing people to rent, rather than buy, his products. He figured that he might not make much money up-front. But it might allow him to gather valuable fabric after use, and perhaps cement loyalty with his customers.

More: Fast Company Co.Exist