Fashion

Sustainable fashion: Sydney woman creates world’s first zero-waste, compostable bra

And it feels as good as it looks!
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Just within Australia, 6,000 kilograms of clothing and textile waste is going to landfill every 10 minutes. Those figures are hard to stomach. But behind oil and gas, the fast fashion industry is the second most polluting industry. Since a great number of us demand a new outfit for every occasion, it’s really no surprise so much of our “dated” clothing is getting tossed.

But one Australian woman is seeking to reduce clothing waste with her revolutionary invention, The Very Good Bra — the world’s first zero-waste bra.

With over two billion women on the planet owning on average nine bras each, that’s 18 billion of them headed towards landfill.

Stephanie Devine from Sydney’s Bondi Beach, has developed a bra which will dissolve back into nature.

“I’ve always lived by the mantra, ‘buy less, buy better’,” says lingerie designer Devine.

Devine says statistics show women on average own nine bras each, which are making their way into landfill.

“As a lingerie designer, I knew I had to help in changing the way we manufacture and consume going forward,” she adds.

The Very Good Bar is machine washable.

The Very Good Bra is available in 24 cup sizes and is made entirely from compostable materials including botanic fiber Tencel, one of the most environmentally friendly fabrics available; tree rubber elastic sourced from sustainable forests; and dyes that meet Global Organic Trading Standards.

The Very Good Bra retails for $89.95 and Devine has set up a Kickstarter account to help fund the expensive manufacturing costs of creating sustainable lingerie. And in just five days, Devine has raised more than $32,000, proving Australian women are demanding a change to more environmentally-friendly fashion.

“Until widespread adoption of a more ethical and sustainable manufacturing system comes in, the cost to design responsibly and manufacture ethically is high,” says Devine.

“Together we can start cleaning up the fashion industry and help bring about a new industrial revolution to protect our fragile planet for future generations.”

To purchase The Very Good Bra or to pledge, visit www.theverygoodbra.com.

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