Fashion industry’s hidden environmental timebomb revealed

Credit: CC0 Public Domain The devastating environmental impact of plastic clothing hangers has been revealed for the first time—with calls for the fashion industry to urgently address the issue. Research by ethical fashion expert Dr. Alana James, of Northumbria University, has found that more than 954 million plastic garment hangers are used every year in the UK fashion industry. Of these, 16% are used solely for transporting clothing from manufacturers to shops and are then discarded, drawing parallels with single-use items such as plastic bottles , carrier bags and drinking straws.

However, while the environmental impact of these products has been recognized and addressed through cost implications, sustainable alternatives and government policy , little has been known about the impact of plastic hangers until now. Working with Fashion Consultant Emma Reed, Dr. James anonymously surveyed a wide variety of UK fashion businesses, from luxury bands to high street retailers, including e-commerce operations. Commenting on the findings of their report Hanger usage in the UK, Dr. James said: “For nearly a century now fashion has had an unhealthy reliance on the use of plastic, with 65% of all garments currently produced being made from synthetic fibers. However, hangers remain a […]

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