Our story
One night in London three friends, who met as neighbours, were sitting on a roof-top terrace having a glass of wine together – the foundation of any magical idea. Norman explained how he had successfully developed paper-based DVD packaging, in response to which Majken and Pieter shared their story of releasing CDs in a cover made from recycled crisp packets. This proved that waste can easily be used as a resource. With everyone hooked on this idea, their anecdotes turned into a discussion which lasted well into the night.
Together they turned their attention towards a high-volume product which is not easily recycled: hangers. Hangers are widely used, on a daily basis by almost everyone, yet very few people concern themselves with how they are made or thrown out. Ordinary hangers pollute enormously, so the three friends set themselves the goal of developing a hanger that would challenge and reinterpret the way hangers are made, used and disposed of.
The prototype
Together with our production partner Argent and paper supplier Solidus Solutions, formerly Smurfit Kappa, we developed NORMN SolidBoard, a cardboard-like paper-based material strong enough to withstand intense use. Made from recycled paper and possible to recycle all over the world in existing paper recycling systems.
Since then we continue to develop new hanger shapes and more efficient production processes. The newest developments have been focussed on the NORM hanger: how do we produce world’s first hanger with a metal hook at the speed and quality required to compete within the fashion industry.
Quest for change
By speaking to larger brands, we quickly realised that to make a bigger impact on the industry we needed to create a hanger with a metal hook that would function in the back-of-house automated logistical centres used to transport clothing from the factory to the shop floor. This is why we created the NORM Hanger, the first hanger in the world to do just that.
In 2018 we were a part of the Fashion for Good accellerator programme. Shown here are some of our co-innovators and programme supports.
Majken Møller
Majken Møller was one of our founding members. When sitting on that rooftop all those years ago, she was the one who asked “what other plastic mass-market products can be replaced with paper?” Coming from a sustainability background, she was also the one who got co-founders Pieter and Norman to ask the right questions.
In late 2019 we very sadly lost her to triple-negative breast cancer, a type with few treatment options. Her legacy is still with us and we continue to strive to keep asking the right questions. Thank you Majken.
Please visit – https://tnbcfoundation.org/