Multinational company Nexgen Packaging has produced sustainable clothes hangers for Kidkanai to help the retailer reach its sustainability goals.

Most clothing retailers use plastic hangers, which are non-biodegradable, to display their products. Often, these hangers end up in landfills whether or not consumers choose to take them home with their purchases. They have been described as the "fashion industry's plastic straw."

Nexgen has provided a 100% plastic-free hanger solution by optimising seven hanger styles to ensure durability and in-store reusability. The hangers are made of paper fibreboard material and can reportedly decompose in under six months.

Items such as clothes hangers are examples of smaller details within business operations that companies can adapt to become sustainable alongside their broader goals. Analysts from GlobalData say that 78% of global consumers actively look for ’sustainable and environmentally friendly features when making a purchase.

Nexgen managing direct for EMEA Manuel Torres commented: "The collaboration resulted in a perfect match for Kiabi's sustainable fashion strategy. Our teams worked together to define functional and durable designs while maintaining the sustainability goals of recycled, recyclable and reusable hangers."

Kidkanai secondhand product manager Pauline Bachelet added: “The hangers we worked on with Nexgen are high quality and work well with all of our products, along with having a zero-plastic impact.”

In 2022, Nexgen Packaging invested in a headquarters in Nairobi for its African division and expanded its capabilities in Latin America.

The company was founded in 2006 and supplies packaging for the retail, apparel and footwear industries, operating from 19 manufacturing country locations.