Guest Author - Vicky Talbot

As Fair Trade Fortnight begins this week (25 February – 9 March) has it occurred to you that whilst you may be a fair trade coffee convert, organic vegetable enthusiast and recycling queen, your undies may be far from eco-friendly? When fastening on your bra this morning, the last thing you’ll have thought of was how far it’s travelled from the field to your underwear drawer let alone how many variants of pesticides have been used on it or how fairly the cotton was traded. That’s because lingerie is about fun, comfort, feeling sexy and super slinky fabrics – but can organic undies be luxe too? They certainly can. Green is the new black in the lingerie world and with super brands Victoria’s Secret and Figleaves following the lead of smaller eco-undie boutiques offering more and more organic, fair trade collections, it won’t be long until you have a completely guilt-free panty collection.

Shockingly, cotton is the most heavily chemically treated crop sprayed with a toxic mix of pesticides that have a significant effect on our environment, polluting water and damaging entire eco-systems. Mass-produced, cheap high street offerings can often be tempting when shopping for underwear but it’s worth investing in good quality eco-alternatives that will be kinder on the environment and, quite possibly, kinder on your skin. It used to be tricky to find lingerie that both looked stylish and had a low impact on the environment – now we’re spoilt for choice.

Still unsure if underwear can be both sustainable and sexy? Well there’s nothing sexy about chemically treated fabric, so invest in organic cotton. If you prefer slinkier pieces there are plenty of eco-alternative fabrics to try that will both look and feel wonderful. Bamboo silk and jersey fabrics are the cool new replacements for non-biodegradable materials like rayon and polyester in the green underwear world. With a low impact on the environment, sustainable bamboo grows healthily without insecticides and produces a fine pair of pants. Other alternatives include hemp and soy silk providing the ultimate renewable treat whilst wonderfully natural French lingerie label g=9.8 created their Mya collection out of recycled, white pine tree clippings, rumoured to feel like cashmere against the skin.

Designer label mavens that just aren’t convinced by the green movement may be converted after seeing Brit designer Stella McCartney’s long-awaited lingerie line featuring the eco-luxe Daisy Dreaming bra and thong created out of bright white organic cotton. Other planet-friendly panty brands include Chantelle whose beige and cream Bamboo collection is wonderfully relaxed and comfortable made from a bamboo blend jersey.

Whilst the big brands are frantically jumping aboard the green bandwagon plenty of smaller, local eco-knickers and bra brands have been creating locally produced, ethical underwear for years. Most of their products are handmade locally with local fabrics meaning their gorgeous collections of French knickers and bras have only a tiny carbon footprint. Small UK-based brand Luva Huva have a modest but ultra-cute collection of flirty knickers, all of which have been created from end-line fabrics and cut offs. To think this gorgeous collection, including the pretty Yellow Silky Boxer and ruffled French Hot Pink Knickers complete with nautical bow have been made wholly from recycled fabrics proves to green-doubters that sustainable really can be sexy when it comes to lingerie.

Need some help greening your knicker drawer? Follow these top 3 fail-safe eco tips to help build a guilt-free collection of lovely lingerie:

- Check the labels – when shopping for lingerie choose organic and keep clear of non-biodegradable fabrics such as nylon, rayon and polyester.

- Be cautious with brightly coloured lingerie. There are low-impact methods of dyeing fabrics but most exotically coloured sets will have had a polluting impact on the environment. Stick to vintage-look creamy nudes, bleach-free white, pinks and peach neutrals.

- Buy local – consider how far your underwear has travelled to get to the shopping rail before parting with your cash. Shopping in local boutiques that use local, recycled fabrics will give your green underwear credentials a boost!