Green Underpants

by Eileen Weber

Sometimes silly ideas pop into my head and I feel a great urge to pursue them. I’ve written about organic wine and farmers’ markets. I have toyed with climate change and water pollution. Now for a truly gripping topic: eco-friendly underpants.

While I can’t say that I spend countless hours contemplating the fabric on my bum, it turns out other people have. There are plenty of options out there for those seeking a little green on their posterior. With fabrics made from corn, soy, hemp, bamboo and recycled plastic bottles, there’s something for everyone.

And that’s particularly true for men’s briefs and boxers. A New York Times article dated April 27, 2006 stated, “Many men will recognize their underwear as the most environmentally friendly piece of clothing they own, given their proclivity, as Jerry Seinfeld once noted, to wear it until it disintegrates.”

Clearly, the trend to go green has been gaining momentum in a range of areas, not least of all clothing. A number of online shops sell organic cotton apparel. But lately, the biggest craze has been with fabrics made from bamboo. A sustainable crop, bamboo is a sturdy and reliable material.

Launched in 2005, Nigel’s Eco Store sells eco-friendly products including underwear for men and women as well as unisex bamboo socks. The underwear is made from organic cotton or hemp and they are made with three percent Lycra for a little stretch. 

"We're constantly looking for new and innovative, environmentally friendly, natural and organic and feel-good products, and make them easier for you to have and own,” as stated on the company’s web site, “so we can all make this move towards environmental sustainability.”

What’s really great is the Pants to Poverty campaign, which Nigel’s Eco Store supports. The garments are made from fair-trade organic cotton in India. Cotton is one of the few crops that can be grown in the country’s arid soil conditions. These little numbers are sweatshop-free and a percentage of the proceeds support workers in developing countries.

Piado, based in Atlanta, GA, uses sustainable bamboo for their men’s “Colors of Life” underwear line. As stated on the company’s web site, they prefer bamboo because it “helps reduce the carbon dioxide gases that contribute to global warming and does not require the use of pesticides for its growth.” They even recycle in the office and their packaging comes in cute, little reusable boxes.

Chris Fofiu, who co-founded Piado with his wife, posted a segment on September 24, 2008 at The Daily Green about why he started a company using sustainable products for underwear. He said it was important to focus on a garment that they felt had been largely ignored by the clothing industry. According to a recent press release, they felt the need for “injecting some long overdue vigor and vitality into the typically dull and lackluster men's underwear sector of the fashion industry.” At the same time, they also wanted to be responsible about their impact on the environment.

“To us, quality and the desire to minimize our footprint on the environment came first,” said Fofiu in his post. “After weighing in our options, we found the perfect fabric: Bamboo, the plant that grows naturally without the use of any pesticides or fertilizers, has one of the fastest growth cycles and is known to improve the quality of the soil.”

But bamboo underwear is not the only innovative idea for the tiniest of pants. SuperNaturale has a really fun way to reuse and recycle. Take your old T-shirts and make them into underpants. I mean, really. Who wouldn’t want to put their “I’m With Stupid” shirt on their backside?

Logan Billingham, the mastermind behind the concept, based her idea on a random load of laundry. “My first pair came about because of an ill-shapen tee with a great air-brushed-style kitty face on the front. The shape of the shirt was all wrong, boxy, cropped, and yet – oh! that kitty!” she says on her web site. “Late one night I was folding laundry. As I held up my favorite pair of undies, marveling at their keen shape, low waist, and full butt, I realized the true destiny of my kitty shirt.”

Billingham’s underwear idea is just one of many. SuperNaturale is a Do-It-Yourself mecca for everything from hair sculpture to dyed fungus. She gives a tutorial on how to sew your T-shirts, if you are so manually inclined.

Even Top Drawers offers bamboo underwear. The company, in business for the last 15 years and located in Vancouver, BC, is known for its other brand-name products for men like Calvin Klein, 2(x)ist, and Obviously Anatomical underwear. London-based Figleaves also has a line of environmentally-friendly underwear that they launched last year called “Greenleaves”. It’s certainly a sign of the times that sustainable fabrics are weaving their way into mainstream fashion. 

What’s even better in the underwear department? Self-cleaning underpants. I guess it’s like self-cleaning ovens only they look better around your hips. It may not be eco-friendly, but it’s a fun idea. (Wish I had some of those when I was potty training my kids.) With a “nanofabric” that wicks off bateria, water, and natural oils, you can go weeks without washing.

Gives new meaning to the word “sustainable,” don’t you think?

Comments

[Climatarians]

Thanks Eileen for that informative and humorous post. Yes, with the global interest on going green affecting every facet of our lives, why lave out our underwear. That’s a good suggestion. This would be a holistic solution for taking the green route. I guess we needn’t leave anything out in our pursuit towards a more eco friendly environment.

Great post!
Joost Hoogstrate