#Sustainability

2022-12-15

C&A teams up with circular bioeconomy start-up traceless materials to replace plastic hooks

From today, European retailer C&A and circular bioeconomy start-up traceless materials are joining forces to reduce the use of conventional plastics in fashion packaging. During a pilot phase, single-use hooks in C&A’s store in Hamburg Altona will be replaced by hooks produced from traceless®. These hooks are an advanced biodegradable plastic alternative derived from agricultural plant waste and designed for the biological cycle.

C&A and traceless materials join forces to reduce plastics in packaging.

Start-up develops advanced biodegradable plastic alternatives from agricultural waste products.

During a pilot phase over the upcoming months, C&A will introduce the hooks made by traceless to its store in Hamburg Altona.

Every year, around 8-10 billion plastic clothes hangers are produced globally. Due to their small size, single-use plastic hooks that are usually used for socks and underwear pose challenges for recycling. This is exactly where traceless materials’ bio-circular solution comes in. Even though traceless® looks and feels like plastic, it is made entirely from plant residues and is plastic-free. It is naturally compostable and saves up to 95% of the carbon emissions that would otherwise be generated by the production and disposal of conventional plastics. By attaching the traceless® hooks to C&A’s portfolio, both companies are set to make a lasting impact on the industry.

The pilot phase with traceless materials fits in with C&A’s recent circularity initiatives, including Cradle to Cradle Certified® product innovations and collaboration with material sciences company Recover™. With these projects, C&A is underpinning its role as a leading innovative player in the textile sector and is taking a significant step in meeting the goals of its 2028 Global Sustainability Strategy through the far-reaching reduction of single-use plastics. To uphold its responsibility, C&A is raising awareness of the environmentally harmful impact of single-use plastic by positioning the launch of the cooperation with the utmost prominence, for example on a specific project website and on railcards in the store.

‘’Our collaboration with traceless is an important step on our way to reaching our ambitious goal of replacing consumer facing single-used plastics in our stores with sustainable alternatives by 2028,” said Aleix Busquets Gonzalez, Head of Global Sustainability at C&A.

“For us at traceless, this small hook means a big step forward: it is the first pilot product to hit the shelves made from our bio-circular material innovation! After many months of development time, our whole team is incredibly proud of this achievement,” says Anne Lamp, CEO & Co-Founder at traceless materials.

Further information is provided on a dedicated landing page.

https://www.traceless.eu/cooperation-project-c-and-a

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