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Disruptor of Drycleaning

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Disruptor of Drycleaning National January 2018 Clothe Volume 59 Number 4 sline www.natclo.com ImagineDisruptor a competitor with a 200,00-sq.-ft. plantof that on-linedrycleaning at renttherunway.com or at one of the company’s can process 5,000 pieces per hour, targets high income brick-and-mortar stores in New York, Chicago, Wash- customers in the 25 to 40 age group. This competitor has ington, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The price of the already raised $130,000 million to fund its growing busi- rental is a fraction of what it would cost to buy the gar- ness and has the goal of capturing 10 percent of the $7 ment outright and that price includes shipping to and billion U.S. drycleaning market. from the customer and, of course, the drycleaning. This is not an imaginary competitor. It’s Rent the “Drycleaning is not something that is really important Runway, which aims to replace the closet in the home to Rent the Runway,” he said. “It’s something they do on with a closet in the cloud. the side. They’re really out to disrupt fast fashion but A look inside this operation was provided by Charles you, the drycleaner, will probably be collateral damage.” Ickes, former chief logistics officer of New York-based While drycleaning is not the focus of Rent the Run- Rent the Runway, who spoke during the National Clean- way, it’s important to have the cleaning operation opti- ers Association’s Texcare event in Secaucus, NJ, in Oc- mized to handle that many garments quickly and effec- tober. tively. The company’s investment in a $60 million The company was started in 2009 by two Harvard inventory requires that the returned garments can be Business School classmates, Jennifer Fleiss and Jennifer made like-new as fast as possible to be ready to rent Hyman, who thought women might be interested in rent- again. ing rather than owning high-fashion attire. When Ickes started with Rent the Runway, garments The company was still relatively small by the time had four-day turnaround from when they were first re- Ickes joined it in 2011, handling 150,000 pieces per year ceived to when they could go out again. That wasn’t sus- with all the drycleaning outsourced. He brought with tainable, he said. Since they are dealing with many cus- him a background in drycleaning having worked for tomers who want garments for weekend occasions, they Madame Paulette in New York and Dependable Cleaners would essentially lose a week of rental possibilities if in Massachusetts. garments took that long which would require having Now he said the company’s drycleaning facility near twice the inventory just to maintain the rental rates where Charles Ickes former chief logistics officer for Secaucus is the largest in the world with enough business they want them. Rent the Runway, discussed the drycleaning op- to keep its 78 drycleaning machines spinning through This led Ickes to explore and experiment with every eration of the garment rental company during a session at NCA’s recent Texcare show in Secaucus. two shifts a day with four million pieces cleaned in 2017. aspect of the process, from marking in to cleaning, fin- Rent the Runway’s customers can make their selection Continued on page 8 EPAThe Environmental said Protection Agency toing document” put for perc andbrakes action on that granted Solvents on Inustry banning Alliance. “Alternatives toTCE TCE require more time is postponing indefinitely a proposed ban chemical could take a few years. But soon In comments to EPA on the proposed on the spotting board in an attempt to re- on the use of trichloroethylene (TCE) as a after publishing the list, EPA ban, the HSIA said it “is based on a very move the same stain from the garment,” drycleaning spotting chemical, according announced that it was proceeding with a deficient risk assessment completed before Meijer said. to a report in The New York Times. ban on TCE when used as a degreaser and TSCA was revised.” Alan Spielvogel of NCA said the ban The report comes a year after EPA an- a spot removal agent in drycleaning. “The better course would be to assess could negatively effect a drycleaner’s bot- nounced that TCE was among chemicals Specifically, EPA said it wanted to pro- the risks from spot cleaning and aerosol tom line. Alternatives to TCE are not as ef- on fast-track to be banned, possibly as early hibit the manufacturing, importing, pro- degreasing as part of the required upcoming fective, present risks to the garment that do as the end of 2017. cessing and distribution of TCE for use in TCE assessment,” HSIA said. not exist with TCE and are more time con- EPA now has placed a ban of TCE on a aerosol degreasing and spot cleaning in HSIA said that EPA had given no notice suming to use in order to achieve similar list of “long-term actions’’ without a set drycleaning. that its 2014 assessment would address results, he said. deadline. The agency said it had identified serious TCE’s use as spot cleaner in drycleaning, “Our position is that between labor and TCE and perchloroethylene were both risks to workers and consumers associated thus there was no participation by utilities, an increased cost as a percentage on a list of 10 chemicals that EPA said it with TCE uses in a 2014 assessment that drycleaner representatives and no peer re- of gross sales of between four and five per- would be reviewing under the revised Toxic concluded that the chemical can cause a view of the spot cleaning assessment. Nor cent of gross sales can be expected if TCE’s Substance Control Act passed by Congress range of adverse health effects, including was there a Small Business Advocacy Re- use is prohibited as a spot cleaner in the in- in 2016. That legislation required EPA to cancer, development and neurotoxicologi- view, even though spot cleaning is done by dustry,” Spielvogel said. publish a list of chemicals to evaluate for cal effects, and toxicity to the liver. drycleaners who are virtually all small busi- Last summer, the U.S. House Appropri- potential risks to human health and the en- According to the EPA, the majority of nesses. ations Committee urged EPA to back off its vironment. TCE is used as an intermediate for manu- HSIA also questioned EPA’s claim that proposed TCE ban. Publication of the list triggered a statu- facturing refrigerants. Much of the remain- the rule would have no significant eco- “Rather than continuing with those rule- tory deadline for EPA to complete risk eval- der — about 15 percent — is used as a sol- nomic impact on drycleaners. In proposing makings, the committee encourages EPA uations for these chemicals within three vent for metals degreasing. Other uses the ban, EPA said drycleaners have avail- to consider those chemical uses as part of years. If an evaluation determined that a include as a spotting agent in drycleaning able a number substitutes that are compa- the risk evaluation process for the ten pri- chemical presents an unreasonable risk to and in consumer products. rably priced. ority compounds recently designated by humans and the environment, EPA would The proposal drew criticism from the In comments to EPA, DLI’s Jon Meijer EPA under TSCA section, which include need to mitigate that risk within two years. Drycleaning and Laundry Institute, the Na- said that while alternatives are available, the chemicals in question,” the committee So far EPA has published only a “scop- tional Cleaners Association and the Halo- they aren’t necessarily equally effective. report stated. Sneak Peek 24 Winds of change 36 Who’s calling? 20 That collar cone 30 What’s up for 2018? What do you do Mobile phones are Collar cones have James Peuster when things around everywhere now, many uses, some checks his crystal you change? Sell including the workplace. good and some not. ball for what out? Move away? Frank Kollman says Don Desrosiers changes could be Improve in place? Or business owners need asks, how do you coming in the route just stand pat? to address their use. use yours? business in 2018. PAGE 2 / NATIONAL CLOTHESLINE / JANUARY, 2018 DECEMBER, 2016 / NATIONAL CLOTHESLINE / PAGE 2 To learn more, see the Index of Advertisers on page 42 or visit www.natclo.com/ads JANUARY, 2018 / NATIONAL CLOTHESLINE / PAGE 3 Laundry, Boilers, DryCleaning, Equipment, Parts, Services (!) &#+%) &!( 0.'&'&%0'% ') 0 *''!% 0%0-0%)%( &*# *" !')%!) Largest Parts & &!#'(1##(!/(!%()&" Equipment Inventory in the U.S. ® FAST OVERNIGHT SERVICE 0 !(!)&*',(!),,,()!%')#%)!&$ To learn more, see the Index of Advertisers on page 42 or visit www.natclo.com/ads PAGE 4 / NATIONAL CLOTHESLINE / JANUARY, 2018 National A national newspaper for drycleaners and launderers January, 2018 Volume 59, Number 4 communicationsBPS inc. Publisher of NATIONAL CLOTHESLINE PO Box 340 Clothesline Willow Grove, PA 19090-0340 WeatheringManagement consultant, educator the and author business Peter Drucker once noted: world’s“Trying to predict the future weather is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window.” Although, Drucker does believe there is one Phone: (215) 830-8467 way to be successful at forecasting the future: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Fax: (215) 830-8490 It’s human nature to try to pinpoint what is going to happen to exercise a semblance of control on a life full of chaos and [email protected] challenges. Sometimes, we can be pretty accurate (on some things anyway). Statistician Nate Silver wrote in his essay “The Weatherman Is Not a Moron” that weather prediction has greatly Web: www.natclo.com improved over time and is now typically accurate within about 2 to 2.5 degrees according to National Weather Service data.
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