When it comes to saving the environment, we’re big believers in the fact that even small things can make a big difference. There’s no better example of this than Arch & Hook.
The world’s first sustainable hanger brand, the company is leading the global hanger industry’s sustainability movement. Arch & Hook’s latest innovative offering? Arch & Hook BLUE® Hangers, the world’s first hangers made of recycled marine plastics.
Here’s a closer look at the drastic environmental impact of plastic hangers, along with why we’re seeing BLUE here at the CIEL Studio.
The Harm Done By Hangers
Many people don’t think twice about the hangers they use and discard. After all, not only do hangers serve an entirely utilitarian function, but they’re rarely seen outside closets, retail store racks, and clothing shipment boxes.
But just because hangers lead a largely invisible life doesn’t mean they don’t matter — quite the opposite, in fact.
After recently conducting the first-ever research into the consequences of plastic hangers in the UK, Arch & Hook released some eye-opening statistics demonstrating the degree to which plastic hangers are both omnipresent and problematic.
Try this one for size: According to the data, 956.6 million plastic hangers are used every year in the UK clothing market. That’s more than 4 million times the height of Big Ben if you need a visualization.
And while the majority of fashion companies say that sustainability is important to them, just 15 percent of them report recyclability to be their top consideration when selecting hangers.
Meanwhile, many of these same companies aren’t clear on what happens to unwanted hangers — even if they do prioritize reuse and recycling. “Awareness of how many hangers are discarded is really low in retail…Fashion professionals are simply not clued up on the answers,” says Independent Fashion Management Consultant Emma Reed.
Drilling down to the luxury clothing sector further highlights the problem. The data reveals that 31 percent of the industry’s plastic hangers are used just for transportation to stores, and 50 percent of these are immediately discarded and replaced with display hangers upon reaching their destinations.
All in all, just 30 percent of plastic hangers are reused.
Furthermore, because plastic hangers are made from a complicated material mix and many have recycling equipment-jamming metal hooks, plastic hangers are uniquely challenging to recycle.
Even those that are recycled quickly end up in landfills — tens of billions of them every year — as the recycling process weakens the plastic to the point that it can only be reused two to three times.
The takeaway? We already know that in generating 92 million tons of waste annually and causing 8.1 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions, fashion is one of the world’s most polluting industries.
Thanks to Arch & Hook, we’re more aware of how hangers are contributing to the problem.
Factor in the rise in online shopping and increase in fast fashion, and the result is a “perfect storm” of plastic hanger consumption that led French fashion designer Roland Mouret to deem hangers as “the plastic straws of the fashion industry.”
A Game-Changing Hanger
There is good news, however: 49 percent of consumers say they’re willing to pay more for eco-friendly packaging. And companies like Arch & Hook are stepping up with some excellent solutions.
Currently, Arch & Hook makes several types of wood and plastic hangers from a variety of sustainable sources.
Among them? Arch & Hook BLUE® Hangers.
Made from upcycled thermoplastic originating from marine plastics, ocean-bound plastics, and post-consumer plastics collected from the world’s most polluted waterways, Arch & Hook BLUE® Hangers represent a new frontier for the fashion industry and sustainability.
While words like “hanger” and “groundbreaking” may seem mutually exclusive, Arch & Hook saw an opportunity and went for it.
These 100 percent recyclable, fully closed-loop hangers debuted at London Fashion Week supported by Roland Mouret and British Fashion Council, and we’re thrilled to be using them at our new studio.
Not only do these long-lasting hangers feature a sleek, easy-to-use design, but they can be recycled at the end of their lifespan.
We couldn’t be more impressed by or excited about Arch & Hook’s inspired mission and initiative, and we’re delighted to be using the Arch & Hook BLUE® hanger. Curious about the clothes on the rack? It’s the new shirts from Allbirds… we’ll be featuring these items soon, but you can read our thoughts on the AllBirds Tree Dashers!
The next time you’re putting away clothes or tossing the packaging that comes with a clothing delivery, we encourage you to take a moment to consider the humble hanger — and the potential role it can play in promoting a more sustainable way of life on this planet.
Because the truth is that A&H’s hangers aren’t just designed to “fit the future;” they’re also designed to ensure that we HAVE a future.
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