At the core of NORMN Hangers is the urge to limit the amount of plastic production and waste to contribute to saving the environment and help create a better planet. There is no way around the need for sustainable action and, according to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, there are 10 years to accomplish the goals set. NORMN Hangers recognises the importance of all these goals and actively works towards five of them.
In 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, also known as the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals encompass multiple elements, from the improvement of health and education to sustainability and infrastructure, on a global scale for all member states to work towards. The image below provides an overview of these 17 SDGs.
NORMN Hangers actively works towards five out of seventeen SDGs, while recognising the importance of all. The goals that are in line with our vision and within our (direct or indirect) reach are:
SDG 6 — Clean water and sanitation: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Tests have shown that plastic fibres are being found in drinking water all around the globe. Causes for this include the immense production of plastic and the minimal recycling of the material, which ends up in the air, land and sea. Especially plastic hangers are a huge problem, produced by the billions each year, containing various types of plastics and do not fit in any regular recycling schemes. By producing 100% recyclable paper hangers for clothing brands, big and small, NORMN Hangers is trying to reduce the need for plastic hangers and, with that, the number of hangers ending up in landfill.
SDG 12 — Responsible consumption and production: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
The twelfth goal is embedded into our entire design process: the design of our hangers, the source material we use and the consideration for the afterlife of the product. Made with recycled paper and being 100% recyclable, our hangers are circular. Read more about circularity and our hangers here.
SDG 13 — Climate action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Plastic is made from fuels such as petrol and oil. Obtaining these materials through drilling and fracking has been widely shown to be bad for the environment and contributes to climate change. Plastic takes ages to degrade and leaks toxins into the ground and water. By contributing to the reduction of plastic production, NORMN Hangers takes action towards combating climate change.
SDG 14 — Life below water: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Within this SDG, NORMN Hangers specifically contributes to target 14.1: “by 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution. Which is indicated, among other things, by floating plastic waste density.”
As NORMN Hangers continues to grow, we hope to replace plastic hangers and significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste currently created by the fashion industry. Much of which, unfortunately, ends up in the oceans due to the lack of adequate plastic recycling schemes.
SDG 15 — Life on land: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
To limit our impact on forests, our hangers are made from recycled paper, collected from post-consumer waste and mill broke. Our hangers are also 100% recyclable themselves: a hanger that gets recycled with other paper can turn up as a cardboard hanger again.
On our socials, we frequently share articles about rethinking waste and sustainability in the fields of packaging and fashion. We believe it is important to be vocal while staying positive: positivity lasts.
Find us @normnhangers on all socials.
Sources for this blog post:
- https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/news/communications-material/
- https://sdgs.un.org/goals
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/06/plastic-fibres-found-tap-water-around-world-study-reveals
- https://everydayrecycler.com/can-you-recycle-plastic-hangers-and-what-happens-to-them/#Can_You_Recycle_Plastic_Hangers
- https://friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics