Underwear Recycling
We pioneered underwear recycling in Australia. 63,179 items and counting.
Underwear is worn every single day. It wears out fast, and you can't donate it in Australia. Until now, the only place it went was landfill. With 204 million pairs of underwear imported into Australia every year, that is a staggering amount of waste.
So we did something about it.
A quick honest note
When we launched in 2021, we offered to recycle textile waste from all brands. We meant well. What followed was more of other people's underwear than we could sustain, and it nearly sent us under.
Our recycling program is now for Underwear for Humanity products only. We make it, we take it back. We're not pretending we didn't make the original promise, and we're genuinely sorry if that affects you.
What we accept
Underwear for Humanity underwear, bras and socks (yes, socks now!), in any condition.
Please wash items before sending.
Bras in good condition are sent to Support the Girls, a charity supplying bras to women in need. Worn out items are sanitised, shredded and processed into insulation.
We can't do fibre-to-fibre recycling yet (the infrastructure at scale is still about a decade away globally), but diverting your underwear from landfill right now is the next best thing. And we'll get there.
What we can't accept
We cannot accept other brands, Underwear for Humanity underwear, bras and socks only, no swimwear, reusable pads or clothing of any kind.
How to send your items back
Email us at hello@underwearforhumanity.com.au and we'll send you the return address. You will also receive the address on your order confirmation email. Reuse your UH packaging if you still have it, or any satchel or box will do. Postage is at your own cost, we cover the storage, sorting, sanitising and processing at our end.
Why it matters
Sorting at our warehouse also supports the work training of at-risk youth through our Social Engine partnership. So your worn out undies are doing more good than you might think.
