Undies With a Difference!
Underwear isn’t something I would normally write about but the pair I’ve recently purchased revealed they were made from reclaimed manufacturing waste!
I’m all for recycling but this was hardly inspiring. At first, I thought I’d misread the tag only to discover that it was in fact correct. I must have verbalised my astonishment without realising as my daughter made a hasty retreat to be anywhere other than besider her mother!
Had they not felt so soft and comfortable, I would have left them on the rack but I decided to put my apprehensions aside and give them a go.
While it’s probably best to buy products made from natural materials, this isn’t a practical option all the time. Intrigued about the product, I had to find out more.
The undies did indeed contain recycled nylon which is made from old fishing nets, fabric scraps, old clothing and even carpets (not liking this one) so my undies are helping to cut down waste and resource use while reducing carbon footprint when compared to the making of brand-new nylon.
Not something I ever thought would be possible from a pair of pants! Fishing nets are dreadful things for the environment so if there’s another use for these that’s great and so much clothing just ends up in landfill that perhaps this is a better use. I am cringing a bit though at the possible addition of old carpet fibres full of goodness knows what. Although the material does go through decontamination, it’s still making me wince. Let’s focus on the fishing nets instead!
Nylon is one of those synthetic products that takes years to break down when discarded. It takes significant use of natural resources to produce and creates pollution through the manufacturing process.
When discovering all of this, it was interesting to ponder how quickly I had judged the recycled product and was quite horrified at the thought of wearing. The words ‘manufacturing waste’ sounded totally awful. The reality is, however, that if I knew what goes into the making of half of what I purchase, I’d probably pass out even though I’m quite conscious about these things.
Obviously with the production of anything large scale, there’s going to be environmental impact but from everything I’ve read, it does seem to be a cleaner option that is eco-friendly and much more sustainable.
In regards to the undies, how they ‘hold up’ remains to be seen. At the very least, what is now on my bum might just be saving a turtle who isn’t caught somewhere in a nasty net and for this alone, I am grateful.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, buying me a coffee would be wonderful. Thank you💐
5 July 2025, Andrea Weber, Expansive Happiness®
Image by Wulf Franzen, Unsplash. Thank you for sharing your creativity.