In the conversation about the textile industry and sustainability practices, the conversation usually focuses on textiles… and rightly so. The unprecedented pounds of clothing waste is a huge problem that brands and consumers need to address. But there’s another component to the fashion industry that is hanging on every single rack that we usually ignore… Hangers. “Clothes hangers are the plastic straws of the fashion industry,” designer Roland Mouret told the Financial Times last month. “You don’t think about a hanger, you don’t even see them because you are focused on clothes. But they are fashion’s dirty little secret. They get put in cardboard boxes in storerooms or under tills and then are thrown away. No one cares and they all end up in landfills -- it’s a disaster.” Roland Mouret, a French fashion designer, took a personal interest in the plastic hanger problem. He worked tirelessly for the last two years with Arch & Hook, a hanger brand that shares Mouret’s sentiments. Together, they were determined to find a solution.
Blue: A Green Alternative Mouret had a unique perspective on the fashion industry--one that gave him a front-row seat, and showed him how important responsible hanger sourcing could be. Together with Arch & Hook, he created a new clothes hanger: Blue. Blue utilizes 80% recycled marine plastic in its production. When you think about the 1,000 years it takes for the mountains of plastic hangers to degrade, this could make a huge impact on the waste produced by the fashion industry. When garments are made overseas in India and China and then shipped to stores in the United States or Europe, the hangers used for transport are immediately thrown away. That is hundreds of billions of hangers. That’s no small number. Exchanging these hangers for recycled (and recyclable) ones could cause a significant decrease in waste. Mouret’s hangers are not actually blue, but a slate grey color. “If recycled marine plastic is not this color it cannot be recycled again,” Mouret explains. The recycled plastic comes from the seas of China, bringing the production story of the “Blue” hanger full circle. Free Hangers to a Eco-Friendly Home Mouret uses his new hangers in his own store, but that wasn’t enough. He offered 300 free eco-hangers to all of the designers he could contact. Not everyone was as excited about the new development as he was. Only about 1 out of every 5 designers accepted his offer. Mouret explains that there is still a lot of resistance to change in the fashion industry, specifically with luxury designers. They don’t feel the same urgency. Mouret wants them to feel the urgency.
Other Developments on the Hanger Scene Even though some luxury brands aren’t sold on the switch to eco-hangers, there are many who understand the importance of green technology when it comes to hangers… and beyond. Gabriela Hearst would get along well with Roland Mouret. The designers made a hanger shift as well, from plastic to cardboard. But that wasn’t far enough, in her opinion. She pledged to make all of her packaging plastic-free by April 2019. To accomplish this, she is working with an Israeli company to develop garment bags that are plant-based and completely compostable, Ralph Lauren also wants to reform its packaging ways. The brand has decided to go minimal. They will ship all of their clothing without hangers or bags, and no plastic or paper inserts will be used in shipped clothing.
In a new world where consumers and brands alike are paying more attention to environmental friendliness, more attention to shipping materials is key. Though invisible and sometimes ignored, the waste produced in the shipping process is more than significant. While brands continue to take steps toward eco-responsibility with well-sourced textiles, shipping material reform cannot go unnoticed. The changes needed to clean up and green-up the fashion industry will need to be wholistic--no stone left unturned. Roland Mouret’s work with Arch & Hook illuminated the unseen waste produced by shipping hangers. Now, green-leaning consumers hope that more and more designers will take up Mouret on his offer of free hangers, so the revolution can continue.