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Sustainable Bra Reviews, Press and how 'sustainable' is recycled polyester?

Sustainable Bra Reviews, Press and how 'sustainable' is recycled polyester?

It's always nice to make the lists of sustainable bras curated by trusted publications out there, and we've had a few of late that I'm keen to get out here. It's also always good to share what other brands in the space are up to, although I'm worried that so many brands increasingly claim 'sustainability' because they're using recycled polyester. My life would be so much easier and our product much cheaper if we could use this material!! But I just can't, because the full story isn't as good as it looks.

Yes, recycled polyester (rPET) generates 79% less carbon emissions in it's manufacture, so that's a great thing, but for me it kinda stops there. rPET still sheds exactly the same amount of micro-plastics during washing as virgin polyester, it can still contain chemicals such as BPA, and it can't be recycled twice so it will still end up in landfill for 200 years giving off methane gas. There's more about that here.

You can also read more here about how the technology for textile-to-textile recycling is still in its infancy, and only 1 percent of all clothing is recycled. This means that an rPET-based piece of clothing is not a viable candidate for any future recyclings, and yet for years now the big global brands (fast fashion included) have been aiming their sustainability policies at using only rPET by X date. Whilst it's better than nothing, it's not solving the environmental plastic issue and it feels a lot like greenwashing.

What do you think?

I'm a purist. In the end it all comes down to whether at end of life, it can go on my tomatoes!

But do read the reviews of our good friends at Sustainable Jungle here.

Also nice to be featured in The Fashion Advocate here. Claire's a great advocate and a big fan. Hat's off.

And finally, the Clean + Conscious Awards, including The Very Good Bra were featured in Peppermint Magazine, check that out here. Peppermint is a great publication if you don't already know about it!

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