When choosing ethical clothing, we must consider our underwear choices as well. These items are personal everyday essentials. So ideally, we should feel comfortable in them. Ethical & sustainable underwear brands show us that we can enjoy this comfort while respecting people and the planet.
The sustainable underwear and lingerie brands we've featured are saying no to toxic chemicals and yes to eco-friendly and skin-friendly fabrics. From their eco-conscious practices to ensuring their ethically made products, here are some of our picks of the best sustainable underwear brands to make your search easy.
Quick links to our choices of the best eco-friendly underwear brands producing intimates and lingerie ethically:
For: Gender-Inclusive
Product Range: Bras, bikinis, period underwear, boy shorts, boxer briefs, trunks
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Fair labor practices, sustainable and eco-friendly materials, free from toxic chemicals
Size Range: 3XS-6X
Location and Shipping: Based in the US. Ships internationally
Materials: Oeko-Tex 100 certified cotton, TENCEL Modal
Tomboyx is a gender-inclusive and size-inclusive ethically-made underwear brand. Right from when Fran and Naomi started Tomboyx in their garage, the company's mission has been to create pieces that allow people to express exactly who they are, unapologetically.
Their lines feature bright colors that we love in loads of styles to suit you and your shape. You can also grab sustainable underwear packs of 4-5 items to reduce on shipping and have a few spares to hand.
Tomboyx is one of the sustainable fashion brands right at the top of our best choices committed to sustainable and ethical practices. This shows up in the materials used for their products. The team sources eco-friendly materials such as Oeko-Tex certified organic cotton and TENCEL Modal.
To reduce its carbon footprint through the supply chain, Tomboyx started sourcing cotton in India. This location is close to the rest of its production line. Tomboyx works with living wage factories that ensure workers' fair pay and healthy working conditions regarding worker treatment.
For: Men and women
Product Range: Bralettes, boy shorts, trunks, briefs, boxers, bikinis, thongs
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Vegan, eco-friendly materials and sustainable fabrics, involved in the business social compliance initiative, ethical manufacturing, Oeko-Tex certified facility
Size Range: XS-2XL for women, S-3XL for men
Location and Shipping: Based in the US (free shipping within the US). Ships worldwide
Materials: hemp and organic cotton
WAMA creates organic hemp underwear made with hemp fabric. Through studies, the company discovered that hemp has many benefits. These include antibacterial properties, breathability, and super soft - especially important qualities in intimate clothing products.
To ensure the well-being of its workers, WAMA partners with factories that provide healthy working conditions and fair wages.
WAMA is a PETA-approved vegan and a Green America-certified business. The company's manufacturing facility is based in China because the nation is a leader in hemp materials. For the sake of auditing, a WAMA team member is based out of China to oversee the factory operations.
For: Women
Product Range: Bras, undies, loungewear, bodysuits, lingerie brands
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Fairtrade, ethically-made, local options, handmade production, eco-friendly fabrics, and production processes
Size Range: Depends on each brand
Location and Shipping: Based in Canada. Ships internationally
Materials: A range of sustainable fabrics such as organic cotton, hemp, recycled fibers, TENCEL
Azura Bay features a curated collection of fair trade, eco-friendly, ethical, and organic lingerie, swimwear, and loungewear brands. These items are designed to empower the people wearing them and are shown off on body-inclusive models.
The sustainable underwear brands featured do this while protecting the environment and empowering the people that make the clothes.
The founder of Azura Bay started the company to create collections of ethical and eco brands. This was to make it easy for a consumer to easily find these brands, helping to cut down search time.
Azura Bay pays attention to values such as ethical production, local options, handmade production, fair trade, and eco-friendly fabrics and production processes. The company is involved in giving back. It donates a portion of sales to charitable organizations.
For: Women
Product Range: Underwear
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified organic cotton, fair labor practices, sustainable materials, recycling program
Size Range: XXS-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in the US. Ships internationally
Materials: Organic cotton
Knickey creates organic underwear and eco intimates using GOTS-certified organic cotton and natural materials. These eco-friendly underwear pieces are created to ensure your private areas can breathe.
The brand's processes omit the use of pesticides and petroleum-based fabrics. Additionally, every underwear item is made in Fair Trade certified factories and free from toxins, carcinogens, and other harmful chemicals.
Knickey offers underwear in different styles. These include low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise variations.
One of the best practices of this brand is the recycling program. All you need to do is send your "ready-to-retire" undies back for recycling. This makes use of products that would otherwise go to waste, and they turn them into sustainable and recycled materials for reuse in other goods.
For: Men, women, and babies
Product Range: Bras, boxers, bodysuits, leggings, socks
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Sustainable, ethically-made, giving back, Oeko-Tex 100 certified fiber
Size Range: XS-XL for women, S-XL for men
Location and Shipping: Based in Australia. Ships worldwide
Materials: Bamboo Viscose
Boody creates basic and minimalist pieces that are easy on the skin and highly breathable. The bamboo plant generates one of the softest yarns; hence, the reason Boody uses bamboo viscose. Organic bamboo is also more sustainable than many available alternative fabrics.
Each underwear item, from eco-friendly bras to bamboo socks, is comfortable for everyday wear. Boody stands on four ethical fashion pillars: sustainability, ethics, quality, and giving back.
Boody prioritizes a responsible and transparent process, showing its commitment to being eco-conscious and ethical. The main objective is to "maximize positive outputs and minimize negative ones throughout the entire supply chain."
For: The whole family
Product Range: Boxers, swimwear, socks, period products
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Fairtrade, organic cotton underwear
Size Range: XS-2XL for women, S-XL for men, preschool - large for kids, S-L for babies
Location and Shipping: Based in New Zealand. Ships internationally
Materials: Organic cotton
Thunderpants creates colorful, fun-looking underwear for the entire family. The pieces are made in New Zealand. The Thunderpants underwear brand decided to go with New Zealand-based production to support the country's textile industry.
This ethical brand's core values are empowering people, supporting communities, and being fair. On the website, you can see the list of standards it upholds.
The brand pays attention to the health and safety of factory workers. Since Thunderpants is an online store, the packaging is essential. Like other ethical brands listed, Thunderpants minimizes plastic waste. The brand uses Eco-Enclose mailers from the US that are recycled and recyclable.
For: Men and women
Product Range: Bras, bottoms, tights, activewear, and other essentials
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Certified B Corp, GOTS organic cotton, sustainable materials, recycled packaging
Size Range: XS-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in Denmark. Ships worldwide
Materials: Organic cotton, recycled wool, TENCEL, and recycled fabrics
Organic Basics creates eco-friendly essentials, underwear, and activewear that are ethically made in Europe. This Danish brand recognizes the fashion industry's impact on the environment and strives to create a positive impact. This means selecting eco-friendly organic fabrics and partnering with factories that care about having a positive impact. This company prioritizes using GOTS-certified organic cotton across its organic clothing lines.
The SilverTech pieces are a staple collection under Organic Basics. The brand weaves natural silver into organic cotton. This creates soft, odor-controlling, and heat-regulating underwear, socks, organic bras, and t-shirts, all of which would make excellent staple additions to any underwear drawer.
To ensure full transparency, Organic Basics has factory details on its website.
For: Women
Product Range: Bras, underwear
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Sustainable and ethical underwear, cut and sewn in Los Angeles, recycled packaging
Size Range: S-3XL
Location and Shipping: Based in the US (free US shipping on orders over $100). Ships to the UK, Canada, and Australia
Materials: TENCEL, recycled polyester
Proclaim was built on the principle of inclusivity in fashion. It provides nude lingerie that is made ethically. The pieces are cut and sewn in a Los Angeles facility that abides by certain labor practices.
Creating nude lingerie isn't the only thing this company is known for. This sustainable fashion brand also makes clothes from earth-friendly materials ditching synthetic fabrics along the way and provides recycled and recyclable packaging.
From the inclusive colors and sizes to sustainable and ethical practices, Proclaim is making all the right decisions. If you're looking for comfortable underwear or a sustainable lingerie brand that offers inclusive colors, this brand provides that.
For: Women
Product Range: Bras, essential and period underwear, activewear, bodysuits, loungewear, shapewear
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Sourcing ethically, empowering people
Size Range: XS-4XL
Location and Shipping: Based in Canada. Ships internationally
Materials: Cotton, nylon
For wireless bras and seamless underwear, Knix is an excellent option. Knix aims to empower people while reducing environmental degradation. The brand considers its impact on people and the planet throughout the processes of production, transportation, and consumption. As well as across their supply chains.
Knix provides inclusive sizing and also leak-proof underwear. There are leak-proof underwear options, everyday bras, sports bras, shapewear, postpartum, and loungewear.
For: Men and women
Product Range: Bras, undies, socks
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Sustainable underwear, fair labor practices
Size Range: S-4XL for men, XS-4XL for women
Location and Shipping: Based in the US. Ships internationally
Materials: MicroModal
MeUndies' underwear range is designed to be super soft for comfort and self-expression. The brand uses natural fabrics to create naturally breathable organic undies. MicroModal fabric is super soft, breathable, cozy, and static-resistant. When MeUndies sources fabrics, it employs an environmentally sound process while using renewable energy.
The company's factory partners are located in different countries. In Turkey and Sri Lanka, materials are cut and sewn. They make loungewear and t-shirts in Los Angeles, socks in China, and loungewear in Guatemala.
Before entering partnerships, MeUndies vets the factories based on sustainability initiatives and certain standards. These standards are fair trade, empowerment, and transparency. With this brand, you can also join the membership program, allowing you to build your monthly collection.
For: Women and men
Product Range: Bikini briefs, tank tops, boyleg pants, g string, boxer briefs, trunks
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Fairtrade certified factories, ethical production
Size Range: XS-XXXL
Location and Shipping: Based in Australia. Ships worldwide
Materials: 95% certified organic and fair trade cotton and 5% elastane
Mighty Good Basics provides fair trade certified and organic premium eco-friendly underwear for men and women. This sustainable and ethical underwear company makes basic underwear pieces using ethical production methods. This is why this brand partners with only ethical factories and sources the finest organic fair trade cotton.
The pieces are made to be comfortable and designed to fit various body shapes and sizes. Through the supply chain, the company's suppliers carry various certifications. These include GOTS, FLO, and SA 8000 standards.
For: Women
Product Range: Bras, bralettes, lingerie, loungewear
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Size-inclusive, ethical production, reduced-waste printing, recycled mailers
Size Range: XS-3XL
Location and Shipping: Based in the US. Ships worldwide
Materials: Cotton, nylon
Uye Surana creates lingerie lines that are designed in New York and handmade in Colombia. The underwear line is size-inclusive from XS, going up to 3XL. One of the best aspects is that the pieces are handmade in small batches. This means they are often limited edition to ensure styles stay unique and avoid overproduction.
For production, Uye Surana partnered with a small family-owned factory in Colombia. To ensure proper support and comfort, the designs are exclusively fit tested.
This sustainable company uses 100% recycled mailers, boxes, and tissue paper for shipping. They ensure ethical manufacturing guidelines are in place. Instead of using traditional dyes and dyeing methods, all the prints are hand printed in the New York studio.
For: Women and men
Product Range: Boxer briefs, bralettes, organic briefs, mini shorts
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Sustainable underwear, sustainable materials, tree planting
Size Range: XS-L
Location and Shipping: Based in Sweden. Ships internationally
Materials: GOTS-certified organic cotton
If you're looking for a premium organic underwear business, you can consider Swedish Eco. All its products are made from GOTS-certified organic cotton. This material is soft, durable, and pleasant to the body. Like most sustainable brands, the company guarantees that the manufacturing process is designed to be good "from seed to shelf."
Swedish Eco focuses on providing everyday basics. This, of course, includes their organic, ethical, and sustainable underwear line. Currently, for each product sold, Swedish Eco plants a tree.
For: Women
Product Range: Bras, underwear, silk slips, lingerie
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: GOTS Certified organic cotton, made locally in the US
Size Range: XS-XXL
Location and Shipping: Based in the US (free shipping within the US). Ships to a selection of countries
Materials: Organic cotton, natural silk
Brook There is another sustainable underwear designer. It provides high-quality organic underwear and lingerie cut and sewn in the United States. It offers minimalist designs that appeal to different styles.
Brook There grew out of the founder's desire for minimalist lingerie that is both comfortable and ethically made. The pieces are also designed to be long-lasting.
Keeping with the local vibe of other sustainable underwear brands, the company decided to make its garments within the US. This ensures that production isn't contracted out to factories that might not be transparent about their environmental and ethical standards.
To avoid single-use plastic, the company uses Eco-Enclose recycled poly bags and recycled tissue paper.
For: Women
Product Range: Lingerie, swimwear, sleepwear, essentials
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Sustainability, organic and sustainable materials, ethical responsibility, GOTS certified
Size Range: XS-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in the US. Ships internationally
Materials: Organic, Pima cotton, washable silk, cashmere
Skin's items are created with simplicity and sustainability in mind. If you're in search of underwear that offers simple designs using natural fabrics, Skin offers this to you. Skin mindfully crafts its designs to be timeless wardrobe essentials.
Like many ethical underwear brands, this company offers a range of GOTS-certified options. It partners and manufactures over 90% of its products with small-scale, family-owned factories in Peru. These factory partners are committed to ethical production and responsibility.
For: Women
Product Range: Bras, panties, sleepwear, loungewear, lingerie, maternity collections
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Hand-crafted, natural dyes
Size Range: Sizes vary depending on style. See their size charts.
Location and Shipping: Based in Miami, US. Ships to over 35 countries
Materials: Mesh, lace, and satin-like sustainable fabrics
Cosabella offers luxury lingerie that is handmade in family-run facilities. Since 1983, Cosabella's philosophy and sustainable practices have been rooted in "exceptional quality, classic Italian craftsmanship and unexpected details." The company sources high-quality fabrics of the finest quality and has them hand-crafted into wearable pieces.
Cosabella takes a slow approach to product-making. According to a statement on the website, "a single Cosabella thong can take up to 10 hours to create". Pieces are created to empower women to be their most confident selves.
For: Women and men
Product Range: Cotton underwear, bras, swimwear
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Sustainable, GOTS, and OEKO-TEX 100 Standard, fair wages, safe work environment
Size Range: XS-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in Spain. Ships worldwide
Materials: Organic cotton
The Nudel Label offers timeless, colorful, and comfortable underwear. The brand's goal is to have the lowest possible impact on the planet. All its underwear pieces are created in a family-run factory in Valencia, Spain. The label deliberately chose this for its proximity to the studio. It also allows the team to have significant control over the manufacturing process.
Additionally, this ensures that good working practices are put in place for the workers. The Nude Label pays attention to ensuring a safe and healthy working environment and paying fair wages.
Sustainable fashion to this company means choosing safe fabrics for the environment. The organic cotton it uses for its underwear doesn't contain pesticides, herbicides, or other toxic chemicals.
GOTS certifies all the company's chemicals, such as dyes. These environmentally friendly practices ensure that they meet certain environmental and toxicological criteria. The Nude Label created pieces to be like a second skin.
For: Women
Product Range: Lingerie, loungewear, swimwear
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Certified B Corporation, sustainable fabrics, biodegradable or recycled packaging
Size Range: XS-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in Denmark. Ships worldwide
Materials: Recycled polyester, recycled wool, Tencel lyocell, and organic cotton
Underprotection was created to allow you to enjoy both ethics and aesthetics when choosing underwear. It designs two primary collections and two smaller collections each year. This includes swimwear, lingerie, and loungewear.
The company uses sustainable fabrics. It also ensures fair working conditions and wages. Therefore, each factory it works with is certified.
Most of Underprotection's pieces are vegan and approved by PETA. You can spot their pieces in exclusive retail stores worldwide if you're not shopping online. These are in cities like Melbourne, New York, and the major fashion capitals in Europe.
This company doesn't stop at just making sustainable and ethical pieces. All of the Underprotection's packaging supplies are either recyclable or biodegradable. From the production processes to the materials chosen and packaging, Underprotection is an all-around sustainable brand.
For: Women and men
Product Range: Underwear, loungewear, sports pieces, swimwear
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Oeko-Tex standard 100, GOTS certified, responsible sourcing and production, locally-made, non-toxic, eco-conscious, ethical work
Size Range: S-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in Italy. Ships worldwide
Materials: TENCEL Modal
Casagin provides sustainable underwear made by Italian artisans. One of this company's goals is to help reduce the impact of fashion on the environment. Its partnering facilities are not far from the headquarters of the company. It retrieves and recovers fishing nets and plastics from the ocean to use for the fibers of the swimwear line. This helps to reduce the carbon footprint.
When it comes to gentleness on the skin, Casagin assures its clients that the garments are toxic-free. The dyes and dyeing process takes place in Italy according to strict guidelines.
Because all garments are made in Italy, traces of chemicals like pesticides that often show up due to import and export are eliminated. Also, the production houses are close to the headquarters of the company. This makes it easy to check every single person's work conditions and establish human relationships with the people that produce the garment.
For: Women
Product Range: Soft bras, bottoms, and briefs, loungewear, bodysuits, socks
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Plant-based, cruelty-free, PETA-approved vegan, no toxic dyes and chemicals, GOTS certified fibers, sustainable and ethical sourcing
Size Range: XS-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in Denmark, Ships to European countries
Materials: Beechwood, organic cotton
Woron is a collaboration between two sisters who have a shared enthusiasm for sustainable underwear and everyday essentials. This conscious company pays attention to crafting and sustainably handling each product. Woron designs pieces to be timeless so they can stay in your closet season after season.
Woron employs a slow approach to creating essentials that feel comfortable on the skin. Like most of the eco-friendly underwear brands featured, Woron holds dear important values, including environmentally-friendly fabrics, staying cruelty-free, using safe dyes, slow fashion, and responsible sourcing.
According to the brand, strong respect for the people they work with and the environment they operate within is at the core of what they do. The luxurious selection of plant-based and naturally breathable pieces positions Woron as a go-to brand for comfort and sustainability.
The choices we make when shopping say a lot about our values and principles in life. For someone looking to shop more sustainably and ethically, a variety of lifestyle changes need to be put in place.
When considering sustainable fashion, attention is usually paid to mostly outer clothing. However, we also need to pay attention to smaller items we purchase and the underwear brands we patronize within the fashion industry.
We created this article just for you if you've been looking for some ethical underwear. With most brands producing fair trade underwear from sustainable materials, you don't have to look much further for affordable ethical underwear. You could also shop these items as gifts for people you know and love.
Jen’s a passionate environmentalist and sustainability expert. With a science degree from Babcock University Jen loves applying her research skills to craft editorial that connects with our global changemaker and readership audiences centered around topics including zero waste, sustainability, climate change, and biodiversity.
Elsewhere Jen’s interests include the role that future technology and data have in helping us solve some of the planet’s biggest challenges.
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