Plastic-free July: Plastic-free clothing brands (+ zero-waste tips)

Every year across the globe, 120+ million people give up single-use plastic during the month of July. The goal of Plastic-Free July is to raise awareness about the immense amount of plastic found and used in our modern lives.

Unfortunately, many fast fashion clothing brands use fibers that are forms of plastic — like polyester, nylon, acrylic, and more. At MADI, we strive to create change from the bottom up, and that starts with using only the highest quality sustainable fabrics for our ethical women's lingerie and staple basic products.

We’re far from perfect, but we’re committed to coming as close to 0% plastic as possible. For an underwear manufacturer, this is quite the feat, as we must ensure our products fit comfortably to the body and don’t fall down. The majority of our products are made from a fabric blend of 95% organic bamboo → bio-degradable, recyclable and plastic-free + 5% spandex (so the undies stay on your butt :).) The actual fabric has about as little spandex as underwear possibly can. We don't even use elastics in over 90% of our products, like our women's underwear styles for example (which is rare for an underwear manufacturer.)

During Plastic-Free July, we encourage consumers to look past straws and coffee cups into another big plastic problem: your closets. Being an ethical consumer starts with the clothes you put on your body.

Plastic-free clothing companies (and why it’s important) 

bamboo fabrics for plastic-free july

These fibers seep into our water supply, our air pollution, and create mounds and mounds of discarded waste every single year. According to Vox News, these minuscule plastic fibers can eventually reach our ocean through our washing machine. In fact, most of the plastic in our ocean isn’t from typical single-use plastics such as cups or straws — it’s broken-down pieces of plastic like the ones found in our clothing. 

MADI Apparel bamboo underwear products are made from fabrics that come from the fastest-growing plant in the world. Not only is bamboo an ethical fabric choice, it’s also extremely sustainable. Bamboo panties can last for years and years, unlike other fabrics that are often discarded after a few uses. 

Why wear bamboo fabrics?

sustainable clothing companies kansas city
  • Bamboo is luxuriously soft
  • Bamboo fabrics are hypo-allergenic
  • 100% biodegradable fabric
  • Bamboo is 40% more absorbent than even the finest cotton on the market
  • It’s breathable in all temperatures
  • Bamboo fabric doesn’t shrink

Living plastic free isn’t just about ditching the straw or bringing your own reusable cup. It starts with being a conscious consumer and taking a good look at the world around you. But — every little bit helps!

Here are a few ways you can live more plastic free this July:

Plastic-free July tips:

  • Pick one thing to ditch — and stick to it
    • Whether it’s ditching the plastic bag at the store or bringing your own water bottle, give yourself one goal and do everything you can to stick with it. Even if it means leaving the store when you forget your reusable shopping bag.

  • Plan ahead
    • Create a little DIY plastic-free kit to help you stay on track. This includes a reusable shopping bag, a mason jar for leftovers/coffee/pretty much anything you might need, and a set of silverware.

  • Make your own!
  • Give reusable or sustainable gifts
    • Giving gifts is a great way to show your love to someone else, but it doesn’t always equate with showing love to your planet. Be more thoughtful about the gifts you are giving, and always wrap them in something reusable, like a bandana or one of our bamboo tshirts.

  • Shop local
    • When you shop and support local, you can reduce your carbon footprint. At MADI, all of our lingerie is produced in Kansas City, which eliminates freight shipping and limits our gas use.

  • Reduce, reuse, recycle
    • Pretty straight forward. Reuse what you can, recycle what you must, and reduce your overall purchasing wherever possible.
July 23, 2019 — Taylor Shuck

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