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Sustainability

We set standards for
people and nature.

As one of the pioneers in the sustainable clothes hanger sector, we have been campaigning for the use of regional biomaterials for over a decade. In close cooperation with our customers, our ongoing efforts are bearing visible fruits. In the last four years alone, we have almost tripled the share of biomaterials in our production.

But we’re not just resting on our laurels — on the contrary, we continue to work intensively on expanding our use of biomaterials, so that sustainable resources will be the dominant raw materials in our production very soon.

Rice husks, also known as rice straw husks, are a waste product generated during rice processing. These husks consist primarily of silicon dioxide, cellulose, and lignin. They are used in agriculture as fertilizer or animal feed, and in industry, for example, for biogas production or as insulation material. At Cortec, we use them to produce a wide variety of injection-molded products. Ultimately, they contribute significantly to reducing waste and environmental impact.

FSC® wood comes from forests managed according to the strict guidelines of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®). The FSC® label guarantees that the wood comes from environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and economically viable forestry practices. This promotes forest conservation, protects biodiversity, and ensures fair treatment of workers. Consumers who purchase FSC®-certified wood support sustainable forestry and promote the protection of forests worldwide. Particularly popular with our customers: hangers made of beech, ash, and oak made from FSC®-certified wood.

Recycled plastic is made from old plastic products that are collected, sorted, and cleaned after use. Recycling involves shredding, reprocessing, and refining these plastics into new products. This process helps reduce waste, conserve resources, and mitigate environmental impact. Recycled plastics are used in many areas: We use the resulting plastic or biomaterial to manufacture new coat hangers, thus reducing the consumption of raw materials such as petroleum.

Meadow grass serves as a sustainable alternative to conventional materials such as plastic or paper. Its processing creates an environmentally friendly product that is biodegradable and resource-efficient. Cultivation requires less water, fertilizer, and energy than other raw materials. Meadow grass plays a significant role in reducing our ecological footprint and promoting the circular economy. Our most popular hanger is made from regional meadow grass. Combined with recycled plastics, we currently offer one of the most sustainable hangers in the world.

Recycled textile fibers are obtained from used textiles or waste from textile production. Recycling these materials reduces the use of new raw materials and decreases the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and is ultimately incinerated. The fibers can be recycled from both natural materials like cotton and synthetic fabrics like polyester. This sustainable practice helps conserve resources such as water and energy that would otherwise be required to produce new textiles.

Ocean plastic refers to plastic waste that floats in the seas and oceans or washes up on coasts. This waste poses a massive environmental threat, endangering marine life and causing lasting damage to ecosystems. To combat this problem, ocean plastic is increasingly being collected and recycled to make new products. The use of ocean plastic in industry reduces plastic waste in the oceans and supports sustainable production processes.

Sunflower, a biomaterial made from sunflowers, uses the residues from sunflower processing, such as husks and stems, to create sustainable materials. This biowaste can be used in various industries, such as the production of bioplastics, packaging, or insulation. The biomaterial is environmentally friendly because it is fully biodegradable and reduces the use of fossil raw materials. Sunflower also contributes to the reduction of agricultural waste and offers an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional, petroleum-based materials. Combined with plastic, we use it to produce sustainable coat hangers.

Sawdust from the Weymouth pine, also known as Pinus strobus, is a renewable raw material produced in the wood processing industry and can be used in a variety of ways as a biomaterial. For example, sawdust can be combined with plastics or resins to produce biocomposites.

Share of biomaterials in production

We do everything for the environment

  • The share of biomaterials has increased more than fivefold in the last five years.
  • Regional production in Germany results in short transport routes and therefore a great deal of CO2 savings (no lengthy air and sea freight routes).
  • The high level of automation in our production ensures resource-efficient manufacturing.
  • Re-using: We exploit the full potential of our quality clothes hangers and sort them after every use for their next deployment. A clothes hanger should remain in the system for as long as possible until it is finally recycled.
  • Recycling: First we crush the sorted clothes hangers and use the plastic or biomaterials we can extract to produce new clothes hangers. As such, we turn the crushed material into granules, which are molded into hangers in the injection molding process.
Recycling

The circle completes itself
at our company site.

The issue of recycling is also becoming increasingly important in our industry. Mountains of clothes are growing and even today clothes hangers are often disposed of without any recycling, despite being a valuable resource. We have been responding to this for quite some time.

Our main aim is to keep clothes hangers in circulation as long as possible – the longer they are in use, the better the environmental balance is. Which is why we first insist on re-using, sorting and using already used hangers further. If the clothes hanger can no longer be used after several cycles, we then go to recycling.

This is where the clothes hangers are presorted manually based on their materials. These material sections are then fed via a conveyor belt into a crusher, which breaks the hangers into pieces. At the same time, a magnetic roller picks out and extracts the metal hooks specifically. The plastic or biomaterial fragments run through another mill and are ground into small flakes. In order to homogenize these colorful flakes and make them subject to further processing, the material is loaded into our extrusion systems.

Essentially, extrusion means the material is melted down and the resulting compound is squeezed through a sieve. This results in a defined, homogeneous granulate that can be colored as desired. These granules are then put through the injection molding process. The cycle completes itself when the old becomes new.

We have identified the signs of the times and use recycled materials almost exclusively in our production – even with other plastic and biomaterial products.

Grass granulate material

The most
sustainable hangers
grow in our region.

In our search for raw materials that reduce the carbon footprint of our clothes hangers, we found just the right thing right on our doorstep. Because there is plenty of meadow grass in our region. The surplus of meadow grass is normally used to extract energy from biogas, and often the cellulose fibers it contains, which make up around 40% of the blade of grass. However, cellulose fibers are also a valuable substance with very good material properties. And this natural fiber power pack is the starting point for our grass clothes hangers that are groundbreaking on the market.

Together with our neighbor – the globally unique grass factory – we have developed a biomaterial that combines the grass fibers with recycled or biodegradable plastics and is perfectly suited to the production of clothes hangers. The material AgriPlast has been tested and meets the strict requirements of toy standard EN 71-3 of the EU. AgriPlast is significantly more heat-resistant than PLA made from corn starch and considerably cheaper than cellulose acetate made from wood waste. This distinguishes grass material from many other biomaterials based on wood (often lignin), the processing of which may cause the release of harmful substances such as phenols or dioxins. We also take a critical view of logging and harvest cycles.

This mix of decisive advantages and especially the positive environmental balance make the new Corteco coat hanger series so appealing that various internationally well-known brands now present their collections only on our grass clothes hangers, made in Odenwald. Our grass clothes hangers seem to be turning into a real evergreen.

Certificates:

  • EN 71-3 of the EU
  • IfaS : 64 % less CO2
Wood material

Wooden clothes
hangers – unique design
with personality.

Each one of our wooden clothes hangers has its own character and embodies a modern and classy look at the same time. The fine wood grains make each hanger a truly unique item. We use high-quality and selected woods as well as water-based varnishes that protect the environment. What our customers favor especially are hangers made of beech, ash and oak. We’re also happy to offer other types of wood and of course we produce from FSC® certified wood on request.

 

Our most popular woods

  • Beech
  • Ash
  • Oak

What shape, color and surface?
The choice is all yours…

You have the option at any time to give your wooden clothes hangers a very personal touch with a variety of surfaces – from waxed to natural varnish or a velvety Soft-Touch surface. You alone decide which finish will fit most tastefully in the ambience of your in-store concept. But the focus is not just on the look of our wooden clothes hangers but also their durability. Because every additional year of service that a hanger accumulates protects our environment. For this reason, product quality is of crucial importance for us. And ultimately, it saves not only resources but also reduces your investment.

Of course, made to measure wooden clothes hangers are also a challenge we welcome. Together with you, we develop and produce genuine unique pieces that bear your signature and underline the style of your brand.

What does FSC actually mean? You can find out here.