The global textile industry manufactures around 60-billion kilograms of fabric every year. Over 132 million metric tons of coal is burned and between 6 and 9 trillion litres of water gets used to produce, dye, bleach and finish the materials used in clothing. According to the Carbon Trust report CTC616, the UK industry produces around 59 million tonnes of CO2 per annum in the production of raw materials, manufacture and distribution of new clothing including an allocation for cleaning and drying (this equals around a tonne per person in the UK).
Instead of doing a last-minute rush into Edgars or La Senza for sexy underwear this Valentine’s Day, consider the Earth friendly alternative – sustainable lingerie. Green lingerie doesn’t mean you have to give up the silk, lace or designer names – organic cotton, recycled materials and hemp can be just as appealing when hand-sewn onto vintage linens and ribbons. If you think that eco-underwear equals bland, boring and beige numbers – guess again! liveeco has found some great options that will match every eco-fashionista’s style during this season of love.
Green cotton sleepwear
Apart from synthetic fibres and materials, the second largest percentage of fibre production is attributed to conventional cotton. Manufacturing cotton requires a large amount of energy, intensive pesticides and chemical fertilisers.
Two designers who were tired of the negative imprint left by the use of cotton industry decided to launch a range of sleepwear and underwear made from 100% green cotton. Although these elegant organic cotton knit pyjamas, gowns and robes are the products of organic cotton cultivation, the two collections (Moonlight White and Heavenly Pink) aren’t exactly the type of outfits that would stop your partner dead in his tracks. If you’re more into comfortable, pure white sleepwear or soft floral prints, check out their range of sustainable underwear here.
Crank up the heat with super hot undies
Eco Boudoir believes that lingerie is like a second skin and last year’s spring/summer range, called Tropical Paradise, has a number of red hot options that feature organic silk, ‘butterfly dream’ prints and ‘peacock blush’ cotton across slinky panties and bras.
Another hot option you’ll come across when searching for green lingerie is bamboo underwear. This breathable, heat-regulating material is 100% eco-friendly, odour-free and non-irritating (for those with sensitive skin). Although this fabric is made from grass, people are often surprised to hear that bamboo fibre fabrics are incredibly soft against your skin.
The Notebook and Mean Girls actress, Rachel McAdams, also recently voiced her love for this type of green underwear. “A sexy green thing to do is wear bamboo underwear! They sound quite painful but they’re actually quite soft,” said McAdams. Luva Huva´s range of bamboo underwear evokes the English rose motif in the sexy camisoles and panties, which are trimmed with bow details and English lace.
If you want to go local with your eco lingerie, check out AfricaMyBra.com (which is slang for ‘Africa my brother’), a company that hires unemployed home workers and uses recycled paper for their packaging. Pretty red, blue, white and green glass beads are used to give a true African feel and the bra straps have a unique ‘twist’ called the ‘shu‘. The bra straps display beautiful flower patterns which are put together by women in the townships around Cape Town.
If you’re in the Cape Town area, make sure to stop by Scarecrow Organics, which recently opened shop in Tygervalley Shopping Centre. They have some exciting new sustainable underwear ranges, including organic women’s and bridal underwear.
International best-sellers
Enamore offers a wide range of sexy underwear made from bamboo, organic cotton, soya and vintage fabrics. Their designs are soft, sexy and influenced by the pin-ups of the 1950s – you can check out their range of leopard print, black lashes and underwired bras here. If you’re more into funky, hip lingerie, browse the range of sexy underwear by Green Knickers. The Green Knickers underwear range has taken the ethical fashion world by storm, featuring wild patterns, dark colours and neat bows.
Another idea for sexy Valentine’s Day underwear is the D.I.Y: undies from SuperNaturale.com. Save money and show true eco activism by taking a red t-shirt from your closet and crafting it into a pair of underwear. Super Naturale offers instructions and patterns to turn your old or new t-shirts into a new pair of panties for Valentine’s Day – check it out here.
The big waste
According to Envirowise, around 93% of the raw materials used to fabricate the items that we buy in our daily lives are wasted. Only about 7% of these materials actually find their way into retail products and 80% of many items are discarded within six weeks of purchase.
Each person is responsible for 19.8 tons of CO2 emissions in his or her lifetime – one of these tons is attributed to the clothes you wear. Besides the variety of eco-fashion labels, remember the impact that sleepwear and underwear can also have on our planet and invest in some sexy, sustainable lingerie this Valentine’s Day!
The liveeco team
