On January 14th, a cabinet decision was made to approve the “Order for the Enforcement Date of the Act on Promotion of Plastic Resource Circulation, etc.” and the “Enforcement Order of the Act on Promotion of Plastic Resource Circulation, etc.”

Despite its cumbersome name, this law, the “Plastic Resource Circulation Promotion Law,” aims to reduce the use of certain specified 12 plastic items, and if efforts are deemed insufficient, there will be public disclosure and fines. It has been decided that this law will be implemented as planned from April 1st of this year.

The plastic environmental issue is being addressed by various governments around the world as a global concern. This law, seen as part of that trend, is something we cannot ignore. In the course of our efforts, a new idea from Tokyo Paper Company, the “Paper Hanger,” has also emerged.

In this article, we would like to introduce the overview of the law, introduce the “Paper Hanger,” and discuss how we can address the issue of plastic hangers.

The Plastic Resource Circulation Promotion Law is not a “Plastic Ban Law.”

Firstly, this law does not directly advocate for a “plastic-free” approach. Its purpose is primarily to reduce plastic waste and promote recycling. While the focus may often be on products that use specified plastics, the law actually applies to the entire lifecycle—from design to sale, consumption, disposal, collection, and recycling.

Rather than “going plastic-free,” the message is more about preventing wasteful use of plastic, and it calls for cooperation from manufacturers to retailers and consumers.

The Inception of Paper Hanger Production

By now, from the explanation provided, I believe you understand that this law does not necessarily aim directly for a plastic-free approach (although it undoubtedly aims for reduction). However, it’s likely that many companies are considering non-plastic alternatives in light of this law.

At one point, we received a request to explore the possibility of producing paper hangers instead of plastic ones. In response, we promptly conducted research to see if we could indeed manufacture paper hangers. Just like when we created paper file folders such as “Block File” and “Honeycomb File,” it seems that by leveraging the properties of paper, we could produce hangers with added printing.

Drawing on our experience with ringless calendars.

In order to fulfill its role as a hanger, a certain level of load-bearing capacity is necessary. This cannot be achieved with thin paper, so inevitably, thicker paper must be used. To make hangers from thick paper, die-cutting of thick paper is essential. Drawing on our experience with die-cutting relatively thick paper for ringless calendar backings, we were able to conduct tests smoothly and confirmed that creation through die-cutting is feasible.

The completed paper hanger: “Kami Hanger”

And thus, the “Kami Hanger” was completed. This fully functional hanger, capable of printing and with a load-bearing capacity of about 10 kg, has been achieved.

While such paper hangers have not been common until now, they are still inferior in terms of cost compared to plastic hangers. However, against the backdrop of recent social environmental trends and their attractiveness as new promotional materials, we quickly received orders.

We are pleased to announce that the French street brand “ddp” (https://ddpfrance.jp/) has adopted our product and will be using it at their upcoming exhibitions.

The Kami Hanger is not intended to replace plastic hangers.

As mentioned above, the Kami Hanger inevitably falls short of plastic hangers in terms of cost. Therefore, it would be difficult in reality, for instance, to replace all hangers at a dry cleaner with Kami Hangers.

Our Kami Hanger aims to leverage the characteristics of paper, uncover hidden and emerging needs such as the desire to promote with hangers using printing or to create hangers with unique shapes, and also contribute to solving the plastic waste issue.

Our Kami Hanger is not about replacing plastic hangers but rather aims for coexistence and mutual prosperity with plastic hangers.