If you’re a pro at eco-friendly fashion, you’ve probably already replaced the bulk of your wardrobe with eco-friendly pieces from ethical brands. Yet when it comes to sustainability, brands frequently disregard the bulging contents of our underwear drawer.
Underwear is one of the most important components of our wardrobe because it is the first thing we put on in the morning, but its use of environmentally harmful materials is often overlooked. Undergarments of all kinds, whether lacy lingerie or cosy briefs and a tank top, can contribute to climate change by using toxic dyes, plastic-based materials, and excessive water.
We’ve compiled a list of the best eco-friendly underwear that is both sexy and sustainable.
Buttress & Snatch
With Buttress & Snatch, a design can be customised specifically for you, whether you’re seeking for bedroom burlesque or a bra for breast cancer rehabilitation. Buttress & Snatch works with vintage gems that founder Rachel Kenyon has gathered and hoarded from the closures of east end suppliers over the last 20 years. Approximately 95% of its fabrics are dead stock, recycled, or organic.
Nudea
Nudea‘s guiding principle is “underwear that fits.” Another is long-lasting underwear. Underwear for women, and not the male gaze is a third.
Sustainability is also woven into the fabric of Nudea. Recycled yarns are used for all of the fabrics and trims. The brand is now completing a Lifecycle Carbon Assessment with the goal of becoming carbon zero by the end of the year. All bras arrive in reusable mesh laundry bags, which means they can be machine washed with care.
Knickey
Naturally, different pants styles are appropriate for different circumstances; sometimes a low-rise thong is required, while other times a high-rise bikini is needed. Sometimes you just don’t know what your go-to style is going to be, which is where the Knickey pick-and-mix starter set comes in handy. It allows you to choose from up to five different styles and five different colourways in various sizes.
Knickey’s products are also GOTS and Fairtrade certified. In addition, its supply chain has been recognised as carbon neutral, thanks to a combination of renewable energy and offset programmes. In addition, it has created an intimates Recycling Program, which recycles any old undies into new ones.
Alexander Clementine
Alexander Clementine is a new underwear brand that primarily combines silky tencel and sustainable seaweed. Seaweed is a relatively new fibre that takes 97% less water to produce than cotton. The materials are sourced from a factory that reuses and recycles 98% of its waste and emits no pollutants. The underwear is handcrafted in London and comes in sizes ranging from XS to XL.
Wuka
Wuka‘s products are created in a factory founded by women in China, whose objective to eliminate single-use disposable products is similar to Wuka’s. To date, Wuka claims to have prevented over 1 million pads and tampons from being disposed of in landfills. Wuka pants may be worn for at least two years, and research suggests that each pair of pants saves the environment by replacing roughly 200 throwaway period items. This is a £44.50 save and an obvious win-win situation.
Pantee
Pantee makes its underwear from upcycled deadstock T-shirts. Did you know that over 2 billion T-shirts are produced each year but owing to overproduction, 30% of them are never sold? Pantee’s founders did, which led to the company’s foray into the field of sustainable underwear.
The items are cut and sewn in a small sample room in Bangladesh. Its employees are promised safe working conditions, a livable income above the national average, and bi-annual bonuses. Pantee is also a 1% For The Planet member, which means it has pledged to donate 1% of its annual gross sales to certified non-profit organisations.