In recent years, the word sustainability has often popped up in discussions around clothing. But what does sustainability mean for you and your wardrobe? There are many ways to create a more eco-friendly wardrobe of bras, panties, and lingerie. Shopping sustainable lingerie from UCA is how you find styles you love while supporting the well-being of our earth and its citizens.

 

 

High-Quality, Low Waste

With 92 million tons of textile waste going into landfills each year, it's time to reframe how we look at our clothing. While cheaply made clothing tends to be less expensive, opting for higher-quality construction means that your garments last longer and need to be replaced less often. This includes your lingerie.

Most bras need to be replaced in about six months. The luxury materials and thoughtful construction of UCA Lingerie's sustainable styles increase that lifespan. When your items need to be repurchased less, those less high-quality styles stay out of the landfill.

You don't have to increase your price point when looking for new, sustainable bras. You should look for styles you'll love and fabrics that make you feel good. Our soft, skin-friendly styles, like Candice or Lily's recycled stretch lace, are lingerie you want to wear. 

 

 

You should also look for versatile, quality construction styles that adapt to your body. All of UCA's sustainable styles come with adjustable straps and supportive details. Whether you're looking for a comfortable bralette with a lifting racerback like Lisa or a molded cup with a supportive band like Candice, UCA's bras know how to change with your body and give you the comfortable support you need.

 

 

Bold Color without Harmful Chemicals

UCA's commitment to sustainability goes beyond quality construction. Even the dyes we use to give you the colors you love are chosen with the environment in mind. With certification from OEKO TEX, our manufacturing team has committed to selecting dyes and textiles that don't contain toxic chemicals.

 

 

Dyeing clothing uses tons of water. Even one kilogram of cotton uses 20,000 liters of water. For the average person, that would be nearly three years of drinking water. After the fabric is dyed, all of that contaminated water needs to be disposed of and winds up leaking into the soil and the waterways. This causes contamination and pollutes drinking water in areas like China and Bangladesh.

One of the most notorious, harmful culprits is Azo dye. These water-soluble dyes are cheap to use but break down easily, releasing harmful chemicals into the environment. Beyond their impact on the environment, these dyes can harm your body. Azo dyes are known to be irritating to the skin and eyes and are carcinogenic—they are even banned in the European Union.

Recycle and Reuse

We've covered how reducing your clothing intake by purchasing high-quality styles that last makes for a sustainable wardrobe, but what about the other two Rs? UCA Lingerie's recycled materials are the perfect way to reuse fabric waste that would have otherwise gone into a landfill. When someone throws away or returns a garment to a fast-fashion retailer, it is disposed of as waste. Sustainability-focused companies like UCA Lingerie interrupt this cycle by repurposing post-consumer waste into quality, recycled materials.

According to OEKO-TEX, recycled materials must be at least 20% recycled and meet quality guidelines to retain certification. UCA has also been certified by the Global Recycling Standard (GRS). These two certifications mean that UCA has dedicated itself to meeting and exceeding expectations for environmentally-conscious construction.

In addition to recycled materials, UCA uses natural textiles like cotton, silk, rayon, and viscose. Our comfort cotton used in styles like Hailey is 100% natural and 100% luxurious. 

 

 

Creating an Ethical Working Environment

Most people never think about where their clothing comes from, especially when they shop fast fashion. Even with our level of technology, clothing still needs to be made by humans. Millions of workers worldwide are in overcrowded, abusive working environments, some of which are even committing human rights violations as they prioritize lower costs instead of the health and safety of their workers.

 

 

UCA Lingerie isn't that. We believe that every person deserves a safe, supportive working environment. We have committed to ourselves, our workers, and our earth to ensure that our production, from materials to labor, is doing the most good.

Supporting Our Employees

Part of making sure that our workers are taken care of is paying them a living wage. A living wage is the amount of money a person would need to earn in a standard 40-hour work week to support a decent standard of living. This can vary by location but should always include food, housing, transportation, healthcare, and other necessities. The clothing industry employs over 75 million workers worldwide, most of whom are overworked, underpaid, and in poor conditions.

 

 

UCA believes that everyone deserves a living wage. Everyone in our production process is paid enough to thrive because we believe better conditions, better pay, and better support are essential for every human being. Additionally, UCA participates in the Higg Index. This assesses a clothing company's environmental and social impact, ensuring that they are following their environmental and social responsibility.

With sustainable styles for everyday and special occasions, UCA Lingerie knows you can marry stylish selections with conscious, ethical manufacturing. We want you to feel good about yourself and your wardrobe's impact on the world. After all, when you shop sustainably, you create a more beautiful world for women everywhere.