A 32-page report by Arch & Hook says, plastic hangers are very bad for the environment. Around 82 per cent respondents said, sustainability plays a decisive role in their purchase of commodities, while only 15 per cent of those cited recyclability as a consideration for hanger selection. Another, 68 per cent respondents claimed ignorance about the type of plastics used in making their hangers which makes it difficult or impossible to recycle them.

Only 5 per cent fashion companies said they deliberately dispose plastic hangers they no longer require, while others did not. Plastic hangers used per year in the UK clothing market add up to 954.6 million; plastic hangers sent out in online clothing orders total 82.6 million; those used solely for the transportation of clothing account for 16 per cent; unit sales of clothing with an associated plastic hanger are 60 per cent.

According to Alana James and fashion consultant Emma Reed, co-authors of the report, hangers remain a largely overlooked area of environmental impact in the industry, despite 60 per cent of all clothing sold being associated with a plastic hanger. Awareness of how many hangers are discarded is really low in retail, especially for the in-transit phase. Fashion professionals are simply not clued up on the answers, they added.