Sustainable and fair underwear from Underprotection

Today I want to share a few things with you about something new I bought. I bought new underwear, again! And since I really want to give you a specific and honest image of what I do and do not buy, I am sharing this with you. I am sharing my underwear with the world! A full set, bought at UnderProtection.

Didn’t I just bought underwear?
Okay, so, sharing my new underwear with the world feels a bit odd today. I don’t really know why, since I did it before. But I share all of my new things with you, even thought it’s not that often. Last time I bought a new set, but it turned out I needed more. Underwear is something you wear every day (I do, at least) and they get worn out earlier than other clothes. And since I also work out a lot, I need a bunch of sets. Okay, so step 1: realizing I really needed new underwear.

New or secondhand?
Step two is usually the decision between new or secondhand. 99% of the time I’d say secondhand. Because, secondhand is sustainable. There are no new resources used and you’re basically saving trash. Also, the biggest negative impact on this planet is made by the new stuff you buy. Fair enough, but for underwear I just can’t do it. It’s just that one thing (besides socks), I don’t buy secondhand. You can say I’m imperfect and that’s true, nobody is. Everybody has flaws or guilty pleasures as you might call them, and this one is mine. I want my underwear brand new.

Which brand to choose?
So then, if I buy new I always buy sustainable and there are a number of brands I can choose from, the number of stores is growing! You can see wether a brand is sustainable at Good on You. I chose UnderProtection. Why? Because I looove their underwear, it’s so pretty! And second, because they had sale. New sustainable underwear is not something I can afford these days, so I needed the sale. So, sustainable? Check. They only use sustainable materials such as recycled polyester, recycled wool, lyocell and organic cotton. All the packaging, paper and polybags are either recycled or biodegradable (I would prefer no polybags but I can’t change much about that). Most of their products are vegan approved, and if not, it is because it is recycled (wool) or a waste resource (milk). Fair working conditions and a fair wage is a human right. Therefore, they only work with certified factories. The shipping is not that great because the company is Danish and it comes from far, but I haven’t found a beautiful and sustainable Dutch brand just yet. It’s the best option right now.

‘Almost as sustainable as being naked’ – UnderProtection

The Materials
The material is always an issue to me, because I prefer it to be plastic-free. The vajayjay is sensitive and so no plastic is something I would prefer. I succeeded in that last time, when I bought a set in lyocell. But, as months went by I thought the previous set just wasn’t sexy enough for me. I mean, I am a 20-year old woman, right? So, this time I chose aesthetics over the material and so the set is made out of recycled polyester. What can I say? I have not found a sexy set which is plasticfree. Feeling sexy is so important to me, it can really empower somebody! It makes me feel good and then I am ready to change the world some more. If you do find plasticfree underwear with lace, please let me know! I just love lace, and somehow they don’t make that with natural materials just yet.

Imperfection is okay
So, this set is not perfect. It’s made out of plastic (basically) and is not made in the Netherlands. But perfect is not the main point! The main point is that we try. And I assure you, this is waaaaay better than a set from H&M which is made by people who are forced to starve and is horrible for the environment. I’m just saying. Doing better is always good, even if it’s not perfect.

The costs?
The set cost me 75 euros including shipping and I realize that is a lot! And this is in sale, with I think 50% off. But, if I can afford it, as a student with a parttime job of 9 hours a week, I more people can do it. In Netherlands especially, we don’t realize how privileged we are. It’s about priorities in my opinion (I’m talking about wealthy people here). It’s a lot of money for me, but it’s worth the money. The problem is that we’re used to unreal costs, because the costs are then carried by someone else, somebody who is not earning a living wage, or something else, when the environment is destroyed. It’s the most sustainable option for me and I love supporting a company that does amazing things!