Organic is the new go to in every other need, we as consumers seek for us today. Be it the food we eat, the basic utilities we use, or the now the clothes we wear.

But, why is this recent fascination with organic products? Consumers across the world are getting more and more aligned to the global issues like global warming, pollution, etc. In such a scenario, an informed and enlightened consumer wants to make life choices that prevent him/her from creating more disruption, waste or pollution in the environmental cycles. Organic products allow consumers to make ethical product choices, effectively causing less negative effects on the environment.

What is organic underwear?

Organic underwear is a step towards greener and ethical fashion choices. Cotton underwear has always carried the reputation of offering the best comfort levels. But, it is still laced with various toxins and chemicals through various processes, treatments, and dyes that are used to develop the fabric for the required comfort and serviceability. Organic underwear is made from organic fabrics, sans toxic dyes, pesticides, chemicals, and toxic treatments.

Why organic clothes and underwear?

When thinking like a consumer, the tag of ‘organic’ automatically pushes us to think about the greener environment. What organic underwear offers, though, is not just a step towards environmental sustainability but also an opportunity for better personal well being.

Underwear as a piece of garment has the highest contact with our skin, that too for the longest time periods, and in the most sensitive areas of our body. Putting on chemically-laden fabrics in such a close contact with our skin is out to have health related consequences in the long term.

Fabric is bleached, dyed, sized, treated, and all these processes leave chemical remnants behind, which end up on our skin when choosing non-organic underwear. For instance, formaldehyde, a known carcinogen is used to set dyes on fabrics.

Organic fabrics provide better protection from toxins while offering more breathability against the skin. Also, organic underwear facilitates better sweat absorption, which in long term prevents any form of yeast and bacteria growth in sensitive areas of the body.

Moreover, producing organic fabrics requires much less processing, chemicals, and energy. Hence, choosing organic underwear helps us to ensure less impact on the soil and water pollution, due to reduced use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and lower generation of textile wastes.

Organic Lingerie Manufacturing in India

Organic textile manufacturing in India

Consumers all across the globe are moving towards sustainability and shifting their interest to organic fabrics and apparels.

Talking of the textile industry in India, India is the largest producer of organic cotton and has a huge scope of producing more organic textile and exporting to countries all across the globe.

Organic clothing is also getting prominent in India. Brands like Indigreen, Samtana and Anokhi offer 100% organic clothing collections that are non-toxic and environmental friendly.

Indian Innerwear Market

With the increasing demand for occasion and outfit-based innerwear, the Indian innerwear market has seen a tremendous bloom. The brands and manufacturers want to make products that are functional and trendy but at the same time –skin and environmental friendly.

For example, Innersense is an Indian organic innerwear brand launched in 2014 that focuses on manufacturing organic innerwear using organic cotton and fibre that are certified anti-microbial and anti-fungal. According to the Innersense co-founder Neerja Lakhani, the certified raw material is sourced from India itself. The brand has gained huge popularity among the customers since 2014.

Similar Indian brands are slowly moving towards making their products organic and environmental friendly. It is really essential for the consumer as well, to be aware of organic clothing in order to reduce exposure to harsh chemicals and move towards sustainability.

Reduce washing to be substainable

In the battle to save the planet we all want to do our bit. Bringing our own bags to the supermarket, ditching plastic from our homes, cycling to work – but we never thought we might have to stop washing our knickers.

This is exactly what new company Organic Basics are suggesting, with their range of eco-friendly underwear, the SilverTech 2.0 range. The company say the pieces are self-washing, kill 99.9% of bacteria and can go weeks at a time without needing to be washed. We really don’t know how we feel about this. On the one hand, we’re definitely up for doing everything we can to live sustainably and prevent the planet dying a slow death, but on the other hand? Whacking on your favourite granny-pants inside-out when you’ve forgotten to do a wash is one thing, but are we really going to get on board with wearing the same pair of knickers for days or weeks?

Organic Basics assures customers that hygiene and smell won’t be an issue. The products are made from 100% sustainable material and are able to kill bacteria to prevent odour developing. According to the company’s, the collection is wrinkle resistant, heat regulating and durable – the aim is for the products to last longer so you don’t have to buy new pants quite as frequently.

They say that reducing washing can make a big difference in terms of environmental sustainability. ‘So much of the waste and pollution within the fashion industry is in your hands to improve. Being more sustainable is just as simple as turning off the water when you brush your teeth,’ they explain on their website. ‘Not only will you save water, electricity and detergent, but your clothes will also last longer, too. For most people, washing is more of a habit than a necessity. ‘So next time you don’t do laundry in a while, you’re not being lazy, you’re just being a super chill environmentalist.’

But the amount of time you can go without washing does depend on the individual. ‘The effect of silver can vary from person to person, depending on how much and how strong our body odours are. Technically, you can wear our SilverTech 2.0 products for over one week without washing.

‘However body hygiene is a very personal matter. So where one person can wear SilverTech for a month without having the need to wash, others might feel that need after just a few days. Less washing will save the environment a lot of water and Co2.’ So really, it comes down to a bit of a toss-up – personal hygiene vs the environment. And while it’s not technically that black-and-white, it does suggest that eco-warriors should think more carefully about how often they’re washing their clothes.