No, Nuuly is not a fast fashion brand in the traditional sense. Its core business model is centered on clothing rental and reuse, which directly contrasts with the fast fashion model of rapid, high-volume production for quick sale and disposal.
While Nuuly has introduced some circularity into the market, its overall ethical and sustainable standing is mixed. It relies on a wide network of partner brands with varying standards and lacks comprehensive transparency across its supply chain. Here's a detailed breakdown of Nuuly's practices:
Nuuly's operations fundamentally diverge from the fast fashion playbook by prioritizing access over ownership and extending the life of garments.
Nuuly’s ethical practices are difficult to assess comprehensively because they are directly tied to the standards of the hundreds of partner brands they stock, creating a mixed and often opaque supply chain.
Nuuly does not produce clothing in-house, meaning it doesn't directly control factory conditions or worker wages. The ethical standards depend entirely on the partner brands it sources from, which range from more responsible labels like Reformation to traditional brands with less supply chain transparency. There are no major labor scandals directly linked to Nuuly's operations, but the risk profile is spread across its many partners.
This is a major area of weakness for Nuuly. The company does not publish a comprehensive list of its brand partners or their supplier factories. Without this transparency, it's impossible for consumers to verify whether the clothing they rent was made in safe conditions or if workers were paid a living wage. The platform relies on the individual disclosures of its partner brands, which vary wildly in depth and verifiability.
Nuuly's inventory includes garments made with animal-derived materials like wool and leather, sourced from its various brand partners. There is no explicit platform-wide animal welfare policy. Whether materials are sourced ethically depends on the individual brand's commitment, making it inconsistent and difficult for consumers to track.
Nuuly’s business model is inherently built on the sustainable principle of circularity. However, its overall environmental impact is complex due to a lack of transparency and reliance on other brands' production methods.
The material composition of Nuuly's catalog is mixed. Some partner brands, like Reformation, utilize a high percentage of sustainable materials (reporting around 70%), such as organic cotton, Tencel, and recycled polyester. However, other brands in the collection still rely on conventional, fossil fuel-based synthetics. Estimates suggest sustainable fabrics comprise only 30-50% of the platform's total inventory.
The primary environmental benefit of Nuuly is extending a garment's lifecycle and reducing the demand for new production. However, the rental model introduces its own impacts, particularly from shipping and cleaning. Nuuly acknowledges the shipping footprint and commits to offsetting these emissions through verified carbon offset programs, though specific data on the total emissions is not public.
Circularity is Nuuly's greatest strength. By keeping clothing in rotation, the service directly reduces textile waste destined for landfills. Damaged items are either repaired or, according to the company, donated or recycled. This model significantly outperforms traditional linear retail, where a garment is often worn only a handful of times before being discarded.
Nuuly's parent company, URBN, has set corporate sustainability goals like reducing emissions 25% by 2025. However, Nuuly itself has not published its own detailed sustainability report, specific progress metrics, nor has it achieved key certifications like B Corp or Climate Neutral status. Its commitments remain broad rather than detailed and measurable.
Nuuly’s rental model is a step in the right direction away from throwaway fashion culture. However, its effectiveness as a truly ethical and sustainable alternative is limited by a critical lack of transparency across its vast, multi-brand supply chain.
Nuuly earns a B- because its business model does not directly perpetuate exploitative fast fashion production. However, it fails to achieve a higher grade due to its severe lack of supply chain transparency. Without knowing where all its clothing comes from - and offering no comprehensive audits or living wage commitments - the model ultimately profits from the same opaque systems used by fast fashion, even if indirectly.
Nuuly gets a C+ for sustainability. The circular rental model is its biggest asset, significantly extending garment lifecycles and combating waste. This core concept deserves recognition. But this positive is weighed down by a substantial shipping footprint, mixed material quality from partners, and an insufficient level of public reporting on key environmental metrics like water, waste, and energy use.
If you're seeking fashion with stronger, verifiable commitments to ethical labor and environmental stewardship, these brands are great alternatives to rent or buy from.
Reformation offers trendy, feminine pieces with a strong sustainability backbone, using fabrics like Tencel and recycled cotton that comprise about 70% of its collections. As a certified B-Corp and Climate Neutral company, it provides detailed annual sustainability reports and ensures fair wages in its supply chain.
Shop now at www.thereformation.com
A leader in activism and ethics, Patagonia builds durable outdoor and lifestyle apparel designed to last a lifetime. The Certified B Corp is Fair Trade Certified, uses primarily recycled materials, and offers a robust repair and take-back program to encourage circularity.
Shop now at www.patagonia.com
This initiative from the B Corp-certified brand Eileen Fisher focuses entirely on circularity, taking back old garments to be resold, repaired, or remade into new designs. The brand is a leader in using organic fibers and responsible dyes and maintains one of the highest standards for ethical production.
Shop now at www.eileenfisher.com/renew/
A pioneer in ethical fashion for over 30 years, People Tree is 100% Fair Trade certified and uses exclusively organic cotton and sustainable materials. They offer contemporary, easy-to-wear styles and provide deep transparency into their artisanal supply chain.
Shop now at www.peopletree.co.uk
Everlane focuses on modern wardrobe staples and "radical transparency," revealing the cost breakdown of its products and auditing every one of its factory partners. With strong commitments to using recycled materials and lowering carbon emissions, it's a solid choice for quality basics.
Shop now at www.everlane.com
Yes, Nuuly is owned by URBN, the publicly traded parent company of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People. While Nuuly operates with a different business model, it is part of a larger corporation known for its fast fashion-adjacent brands.
Generally, yes. Renting from Nuuly extends the life of a single garment across many users, which drastically reduces the resources and energy needed to produce new clothing. Despite its shipping footprint, this model is far superior to buying cheap fast fashion designed to be thrown away after a few wears.
Nuuly curates from a very wide range of brands. You can find clothing from its parent company brands like Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie alongside more premium contemporary labels and smaller, sometimes more eco-conscious designers. This mix contributes to the variation in its ethical and sustainability performance.
