Stripe and Stare, the underwear and loungewear brand, has launched a new collection of biodegradable underwear. The company, already known for its commitment to sustainability, wanted to create garments that could go a step further.
According to their website, “Only 3% of the underwear market is sustainably sourced which is a shocking statistic given that this is something we all wear every day. None of us can be perfect but we truly believe that small changes can add up to a big difference. Our mission is to try and make the underwear market a little better. This is a product we cannot buy second-hand so we are focused on how it is made and what happens to it at the end of its life. There are shocking statistics on landfill – 3 in 5 of our garments still end up in landfill or incinerators within a year and Oxfam have reported that 13 million garments go to landfill every week.”
The company went on a mission to create products that can be buried in the garden and composted at the end of their lifespan.
“Our mainline range uses 95% Lenzing Tencel which we believe to be the best out there in terms of sustainability and responsible sourcing. They create from non-protected, regenerated wood sources in a carbon neutral way. 99.9% of all raw materials are recycled and reused. Lenzing fibres are from wood which means they are 95% biodegradable which is great but we wanted to find a solution for the other 5%.” states Stripe and Stare.
“There is much exciting progress in fibre technology and we managed to source the world’s first biodegradable elastane (the bit that gives the stretch). It has been created by a company in Japan called Roica and is certified as Cradle to Cradle – this accreditation means it is created in a non-harmful environmental way and at the end of its life breaks down in the soil.
By combining 71% Tencel fibres (these are from wood), 19% Seacell (from seaweed!) and 10% Roica elastane we have created a world first collection of underwear and basics that you can literally bury in the garden at the end of life. And they will be 100% gone in 180 days.
Combining all this technology means we have created what we believe is the world’s first 100% biodegradable lace knicker.”
The company aims to create the building blocks of a wardrobe that does not sacrifice comfort for sustainability.
