GreenEarth Cleaning has partnered with Nuuly,

one of the largest US clothing rental platforms, in a move which will see all ‘dryclean only’ garments processed using GreenEarth’s silicone-based solvent system.

Nuuly has nearly 500,000 subscribers who for $98 (just over £70) a month can choose six womenswear fashion choices, from an extensive catalogue of well-known casual wear brands through to formal occasion dresses, produced by manufacturers with their own eco-credentials, right through the supply chain.

Subscribers then send the used clothes back, uncleaned and free of charge, and make their next choices. They can also opt to buy clothes they’d like to keep at a discount and Nuuly also operates a ‘thrift shop’ where end-of-line items can be purchased at sale prices. It’s a good fit for GreenEarth as the solvent is non-toxic, biodegradable, and engineered for garment longevity, while eliminating the odour associated with conventional drycleaning. Nuuly transitioned from a different alternative solvent system to GreenEarth, which is now being used in 70 plus machines to return garments to a pristine condition.

GreenEarth’s proprietary cleaning solution is pure liquid silicone, the same safe, silky ingredient found in shampoos and conditioners. Unlike traditional drycleaning chemicals, it’s non-toxic, biodegradable, and energy-efficient, breaking down naturally into sand, water, and trace amounts of CO₂. The result is a drycleaning process that keeps clothes looking new while eliminating the harsh chemical smell typically associated with dry cleaning.

“Our mission has always been to prove that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand,” said Andy Lien, technical director at GreenEarth Cleaning. “Our process not only saves energy and protects fabrics; it delivers clothes that are perfectly clean and completely odour-free. Together with Nuuly, we’re showing that caring for fashion and caring for the planet can be one and the same.”

Aftercare directly impacts unit economics and longer-lasting garments improve return on inventory – making cleaning performance a core profitability driver. GreenEarth’s closed-loop system also delivers measurable plant efficiencies including no discharge into wastewater systems, up to 50 per cent reduction in utility usage per load and lower energy and solvent consumption.

The sustainability gains from using GreenEarth are important to businesses like Nuuly because their customer-base includes many who choose it as a lifestyle choice to match other environmental concerns they have. Rental and resale models are accelerating and, according to KPMG, eight per cent of consumers now primarily use resale platforms, rising to 15 per cent among younger demographics.

Nuuly emphasises to its subscribers how small, repeatable actions make an impact, and that their ‘fashion ecosystem’ reduces the waste of one-off purchases and offers second-hand items a new life.

They are part of a movement to shift fashion from a cycle of buying and discarding to a system that minimises ownership and newness. As well as environmentally-friendly cleaning, repaired rentals are hand inspected before returning to what Nuuly sees as a shared closet.

For cleaners this means higher garment throughput, greater demand for consistent finishing quality and increased focus on garment preservation. Extended garment life and reduced replacement costs sit alongside improved customer experience, safer working environments and lower re-clean rates.

Over 70 per cent of Nuuly clothing is laundered in custom-built energy and water-efficient wet washing machines, using non-alkaline and phosphate-free cleaning solutions. The remainder are now drycleaned with GreenEarth. The GreenEarth system is already used by major retailers including Whistles, Next, Phase Eight, and Boden.

Rails of clothes for hire from Nuuly

Exterior of the Nuuly headquarters and cleaning facility