OIA Global, a provider of logistics, packaging, and materials sourcing and Ditto Sustainable Brand Solutions, a green product design company, have announced a joint marketing agreement creating an innovative program for shipping and retailing called Garments on Ditto.

The innovation is engineered to make shipping on hangers more efficient and will allow retailers to replace the billions of one-use, plastic hangers now going into landfills every year. Studies show that 85 percent of retail plastic hangers are thrown out resulting in 34 billion hangers going into landfills annually.

The key component to the program is the Ditto hanger, made from 100 percent recycled paper fiberboard. The hanger is extremely durable and has marketing and retail benefits not possible with plastic hangers.

“People think plastic store hangers are used repeatedly but once the garment is sold, there’s no reuse,” said Gary Barker, CEO of Ditto. “With the single use plastic hanger actually costing almost 10 cents more per garment to ship, sell, and dispose of, retailers are paying a premium to send tons of plastic to our landfills.

“Retailers can reduce shipping and warehousing costs up to 20 percent and achieve significant sustainability advances using the program,” added Steve Akre, OIA’s executive vice president for business development.

The Ditto and OIA Garments on Ditto program launched on September 1st.