It’s no secret that the fashion industry can be harmful to the environment. In fact, it’s the world’s second greatest polluter, only after oil—and when you consider all the production, materials, and waste that goes into creating (and is created by) the garments we wear, this doesn’t come as such a surprise. We’ve reported before that the average Australian woman only wears 33% of her wardrobe, and that’s something that needs to change. While fashion is becoming faster and more affordable, more and more clothes are ending up in landfill. To say that this habitual buying, throwing out, and re-buying is unsustainable would be an huge understatement.
While we can all take strides to reduce our individual impact on the environment when it comes to mindful shopping, there is one wardrobe essential that often goes overlooked as far as sustainability is concerned: The bra. Oftentimes, bras are crafted from materials that make them non-biodegradable. When a bra gets tossed, the metal, toxins, and technical fabrics don’t just disappear, they hang around in landfills, and if every woman in the world owns an average of 9 bras, that pans out to about 18 million building up on our planet. Sounds dire, no?
Thankfully, there’s a way to reshape the path we're headed down. Created by Bondi-based lingerie designer Stephanie Devine, The Very Good Bra is here to help us change trajectory. Unlike the aforementioned bras that aren’t biodegradable, The Very Good Bra is working to “close the loop within the fashion industry by creating a revolutionary bra which can dissolve back into nature.” Because of its lack of wiring, and the use of Tencel (which is farmed from Eucalyptus trees, requiring less water than cotton), The Very Good Bra is the world’s first zero-waste bra.
“Together we can start cleaning up the fashion industry and help bring about a new industrial revolution to protect our fragile planet for future generations,” Devine shares—and we couldn’t agree more. By taking small steps in the right direction, we can begin to remedy the long lasting damage the fashion industry has done to our planet thus far. True, there’s a lot to make up for, but re-thinking our most basic purchases can begin to make a world of difference. “Until widespread adoption of a more ethical and sustainable manufacturing system comes in, the cost to design responsibly and manufacture ethically is high,” the designer notes. By shopping sustainably now, and demanding more ethical practices, we as customers have the ability to vote with our dollar —so if you want to do good, start by supporting brands who want the same.
As far as we’re concerned, buying The Very Good Bra would be a great place to start. Launched via Kickstarter, the bra will be available in 24 cup sizes, retailing for $89.95. While the price point is typical of any high-quality bra, the environmental impacts of this one are nothing short of atypical. Chances are, bras are something you hold onto for a while anyway, so why not invest in one that will serve you both practically and morally?
