This article has originally been published online on the blog of ReWardrobe, and is republished with permission of the author.
By: Veronica Crespi, Founder & Senior Consultant at ReWardrobe, @rewardrobe
I’ve been doing a bit of researching, to find out about environmentally-friendly alternatives to the most common plastic hangers. I found a few ideas, although unfortunately it seems like it’s very very early stages, and a lot still needs to be done to reduce the enormous amount of plastic used to distribute the tons of clothes that hit our high-streets every year.
Not many eco-friendly alternatives are available to the public, unfortunately. However, most people don’t actually buy hangers, and just prefer to keep the ones that come free back from the dry cleaner’s (a big no-no as far as I’m concerned!), or with a new high-street purchase. And indeed, it is at industry level that hangers are churned out at most speed – so it’s good to see steps are being taken to provide retailers and dry cleaners with more sustainable alternatives.
In the UK, Hanger 4 Life have developed a new and very advantageous hanger system. They bank on durability: their hangers are still made of plastic, but of a high-quality ABS that is supposed to last for a lifetime. Which is particularly important for retailers: the reduced risk of breakage saves the retailers money, and allows them not to have to increase the demand for newly produced hangers.
And whatever Hangers 4 Life produce, they offset their carbon emissions in full. And that’s after they have a up to 40% reduced carbon footprint to begin with, thanks to intelligent design: reduced tooling in manufacturing, minimal inventory space required thanks to a special shape, and less cardboard needed for boxes of smaller size used in distribution.
They have also made their intelligent design available to the public, and their hanger systems are available to buy Hanger4Life” rel=”nofollow”>on Amazon.
Something similar is being done in Canada by E-Hanger, and here in the UK by Becoadvertising. In their own words: “The Becohanger is a fully recyclable and biodegradable hanger made from durable recycled paper and card. Similar in size to a standard wire coat hanger, the Becohanger is designed to replace its less eco friendly cousins, that fill our wardrobes and landfill sites every year. Although deliberately not indestructible, the Becohanger is strong, durable and resilient. Fully printed with four colour inks, front and back, the Becohanger not only works as a useful eco friendly product, but it also offers an attractive advertising platform. It is this added value that allows us to give the hangers away for free.”
Beco’s offer is also completed by a cardboard hanger. Although I have to admit I am not the greatest fan of cardboard hangers for the everyday wardrobe (because of their durability, but also because sometimes their shape is not the most ideal for some garments), I think their fun children’s version is a great product. Children’s clothes are not supposed to be worn for very long – so why introduce a lot of plastic in a kid’s wardrobe, that will most probably be disposed of shortly. Granted, the hangers can be donated, just as most of the kid’s clothes will. However, I like the idea that the hangers can just go in the compost – one fewer thing to be produced with plastic. Also available in store at John Lewis.
Even though cardboard hangers might not be the best option for consistent everyday use in a regular wardrobe, I think they are a great alternative for many other occasions, such as display in showrooms and trade fairs. As shown in the first picture of this article, during Estethica in London two labels showed their collections on eco-friendly hangers customised for their own brand – an excellent choice, and I was surprised not to see more designers paying attention to such important details.
For instance, US based STUDY NY used Ditto Hangers (left picture).
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Rewardrobe is the brainchild of Veronica Crespi, a Style and Fashion Consultant who has brought her quintessentially Italian flair to London.
With a past as a Trends Researcher and a background in Design and Styling acquired in Italy, Veronica understands colour, textiles and trends as well as retail – an all-round approach to fashion. At Rewardrobe, Veronica offers all the services of a traditional Image Consultant: advice on colour, personal style, wardrobe organisation, suitable outfits for business or special occasions, personal shopping – as well as Style and Slow Fashion workshops for small groups.
