Hanging Up the Plastic Packaging
Many brands are taking action to reduce the volume of plastic packaging used to display and deliver products. One of the latest moves has been taken by Sainsbury’s, with Tu Baby Clothing now being presented on cardboard hangers.
Cardboard Hangers Replace Plastic Packaging
Clothing sold in High Street stores, supermarkets and independent boutiques is typically displayed on rails, making hangers an everyday item. The question is, what happens to them when you make your purchase?
In some stores, the hangers are removed at the till, to be sorted for reuse or recycling. In other cases, they are bagged up with your purchases, ready for you to take home. However, we don’t always need them. Baby clothes are a prime example, as the majority of items will be folded in a drawer, rather than hung in a wardrobe.
This means that shoppers are left with surplus hangers. Some get donated to charity shops, others are taken to collection points in retail stores. Far too many get binned and, like all plastic packaging, they take hundreds of years to break apart.
Can Plastic Hangers be Recycled?
It is estimated that around 10 billion new hangers are produced each year and UK shoppers use around 400 million of these. Unfortunately, plastic clothes hangers are usually made from a mix of plastic grades. These are often combined with metal hooks or clips. In addition, foam protectors or fabric elements can be added. Due to this blend of materials, hangers are difficult to recycle and aren’t accepted in household collections.
Sainsbury’s is one of the retailers that offer a recycling service. They teamed up with hanger manufacturer, Braiform, to collect, clean, reuse or recycle unrequired hangers to reduce the volume of new ones needed to be made.
In addition to this scheme, the supermarket was keen to consider alternative options. This led to a trial of cardboard hangers for their baby clothing range. As these are made from a single and widely recycled material, the store can reuse or recycle them or shoppers can recycle them at home.
Cardboard Coat Hangers
Cardboard coat hangers are nothing new. Brands including Normn have been supplying them to fashion boutiques and catwalk shows for years. UK Organic clothing company, Frugi, has been using them for their baby and children’s clothing range since 2020.
Sainsbury’s predicts that the switch in 400 stores will save 103 tonnes of plastic. Would it be possible to extend this to some adult ranges too? Just imagine the impact if all fashion retailers explore the viability of switching away from plastic in favour of cardboard hangers!
Would you Like the Hanger?
As consumers, we can take action by declining the offer of taking the hangers. When removed at the till, there is a higher likelihood that they will be reused or recycled.
If you shop online and the clothing is sent with the hangers, make a point of mentioning this was unnecessary when you provide feedback on your purchases.
Back in 2019, there was a campaign to introduce a charge for plastic hangers, following the successful decline in plastic bag use after a 5p charge was introduced. This didn’t come into force, but it would encourage shoppers to think before responding to the question, ‘Would you Like the Hanger?’
Taking the Plastic Packaging Out of Fashion
The fashion industry has been identified as a major contributor to wasteful single-use plastic use. Three actions would make a difference:
- Switch to cardboard hangers or make it a policy to remove hangers at the till and invest in a process that maximises reuse and recycling
- When sending items to retailers or e-commerce customers, don’t individually wrap items in plastic bags
- Ship online orders in boxes, not bags
As a cardboard packaging manufacturer, we advise on packaging design and create custom boxes, printed with the company branding, for online fashion retailers. For further information on how we can help make your packaging more sustainable, get in touch on 01296 436888 or enquiries@abcbox.co.uk
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