Tips for Becoming a More Sustainable Consumer – Start with Your Underwear
If you’ve decided to go green with your clothes, opting for sustainable underwear is the perfect way to dip your toes into the world of ethically-made clothing. The great news is that there is a growing number of ethical underwear brands today that make underwear one of the easiest elements of your wardrobe to change. The bad news is that some brands don’t follow all the steps required to implement ethical practices through their supply chain and simply say they’re operating ‘ethically’ to attract customers. So, how do you know if a brand is really an ethical one? I’m glad you asked.
Check Their Policy Page
When checking out a brand online, the easiest way to discover their reliability is by reading their policy page. An ethical underwear brand usually has extensive information available to the customers. If the brand doesn’t say anything about where their products are made, that is a major red flag. But like online dating, just because a person lists all their best qualities on their profile, that doesn’t mean they are all true. So before committing to a certain underwear brand, you might want to ask around to find out what others have to say about it.
Check the Materials
Unless the underwear is made from upcycled or waste fabrics, the textiles used by sustainable clothing brands should be made from recyclable, renewable materials like bamboo, cotton, hemp, linen or silk. Many are now turning to bamboo for clothing as it is both eco-friendly and biodegradable. Bamboo requires no chemicals and very little water to grow. It is also 100% natural and biodegradable, which gives conscientious consumers a real peace of mind. In order to produce high-quality bamboo fabric, sodium hydroxide is necessary. However, when used responsibly, this chemical has absolutely no effect on the environment and on workers’ health.
Be Careful of Anything Made Far, Far Away
What do famous brands, like Louis Vuitton and Alexander Wang, have in common? Their products are all made in China. Do you know why? To increase their profit margins by paying workers less. But it is not just the luxury brands you should be careful about. Many fashion brands can only exist because of the slave-like working conditions of the Chinese, Cambodian, and Bangladeshi employees and the blind eye turned to environmental regulations to keep their prices very low. Although completely banning brands made in Asia is a bit complicated, after all, many people rely on those companies for their income. So it is up to you to realise that a $5 piece of underwear reeks of exploitation and environmental degradation.
