It's Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week! We love Planet Ark, and we were the recipients of their inaugural Circular Economy Awards in 2022. Happy dance!
Recycling Week is a fantastic opportunity to reflect on how we deal with our stuff, especially those items we tend to overlook. Like knickers, for instance. They’re probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think “recycling,” right? But here at Underwear for Humanity, we're on a mission to change that. We’re tackling waste head-on by recycling undies, keeping them out of landfills, and adding a touch of humanity to how we consume.
The Waste Hierarchy: Where Recycling Sits
Let’s dive into the waste hierarchy – our ultimate guide for managing waste more sustainably:
- Refuse: Simply say no. Don’t buy what you don’t need, especially now during sale periods!
- Reduce: Scale back on how much you buy.
- Reuse: Find a new way to use it or pass it on.
- Repair: Patch it up and make it last.
- Recycle: Process materials to create something new.
- Recover: Extract energy or resources from waste. Some fashion brands like H&M in Sweden burn old fast fashion items for energy recovery… scary, but the science suggests it's slightly better than landfill.
- Dispose: The last resort – send it to landfill.
Recycling is brilliant, but it’s lower on the hierarchy than you might think. The real heroes are at the top, with refusing, reducing, reusing, and repairing. Recycling extracts value and stops precious materials from going straight to landfill. But let’s be real – some items, especially personal ones like underwear, don’t fit neatly into those higher steps. That’s where we come in.
Why Recycling Undies Matters
We’re wrapt to be the only organisation in Australia recycling underwear. Why is this such a big deal? Because undies are a tricky business. There are hygiene hurdles and multiple fibres in one small item – think elastic, care label, bows, gusset lining – making recycling a challenge. But all those small items add up and clog our landfills. By recycling undies, we’re doing our bit to tackle waste in a big way.
Downcycling vs Recycling: Where We Stand Right Now
When we talk about recycling, we usually mean transforming materials into something of similar quality, keeping them in a closed loop (like recycling glass bottles into new glass bottles). Downcycling, however, converts materials into products of lower quality or functionality. It’s often the last step, where fabric from old clothing, for instance, becomes insulation or industrial rags.
At Underwear for Humanity, downcycling is where we’re at right now for briefs. Due to current technology in the textile industry, true closed-loop recycling isn’t possible for undies (or for most clothing – less than 1% of all textiles are fully recycled!). But downcycling keeps undies out of landfill and still extends their life in a new form. It's a step forward in reducing waste, even if we can’t yet reach a full recycling loop.
The bra pathway for us is quite different, without the hygiene issues they can easily be re-used. We sort through and decide if a bra is in good wearable condition, if so, it is sent to Support the Girls to reach women in need. If a bra is unusable condition it is decommissioned in India, all components that are salvageable are re-used or smelted to be recycled. The fibre is shredded and woven with other fibres to create blankets; such as emergency blanket, India is the leading country in the world supplying these.
We're committed to keeping precious materials in circulation, so we use recycled fibres for our elastic and nylon seamfree underwear. Recycled synthetics are 72% lower in emissions than virgin. The cost of our elastic is 13 times higher than regular virgin elastic, but this is something we cannot compromise on.
If you support recycling, you have to also be willing to buy it at the other end!
The Impact of Knicker Waste
Think about it – we wear underwear every day (well, most of us!), but we don’t keep them forever. When they’re done, most end up in the bin. Multiply that across Australia’s population, and that’s millions of pairs ending up in landfill each year. And many undies are made from synthetic fibres that don’t break down easily, so they stick around in the environment for a long time. Recycling with us gives those undies a second life.
How You Can Make a Difference
So, how can you keep your undies out of the landfill? Here are some tips to make a change:
- Buy Smart – Think Quality Over Quantity
- Go for Quality: Invest in durable underwear and avoid fast fashion.
- Choose Sustainable Materials: Opt for organic cotton, Tencel, or recycled fabrics.
- Extend Their Life – Look After Your Undies
- Follow Care Instructions: Wash on gentle cycles, use cold water, and avoid tumble drying to extend their lifespan. Washing in the shower is a great way to make them last longer!
- Repair – Yes, Even Your Knickers!
- Fix Small Rips or Loose Elastic: Grab a needle and thread – a quick stitch could add months to their life.
- Recycle with Us When They’re Truly Done
- Send Your Old Knickers Our Way: When they’re beyond repair, recycle them with us instead of tossing them.
- Share the Love – Spread the Word
- Get Your Friends Involved: Let people know about undie recycling! The more of us on board, the bigger the impact.
Beyond Recycling: Embrace the Full Waste Hierarchy
While recycling is essential, don’t forget the steps that come first. Refusing, reducing, reusing, repairing, and recovering energy or materials all make a massive difference. Every little action can help us cut down on waste and lessen our impact on the planet.
Underwear for Humanity’s Mission
At Underwear for Humanity, we’re not just about making and recycling knickers – we’re on a mission to shift our whole approach to consumption. We believe even the small things, like undies, can have a big impact when managed responsibly. This National Recycling Week, let’s celebrate our wins and commit to going further. Refuse what you don’t need, reduce what you do, reuse, repair, recover, and when it’s time – recycle. And remember, we’re here to help you with that last step and to keep you stocked in high-quality undies!
