Underwear company finds novel way to make carpets

The Nudea underwear brand has launched its “bra-cycle” scheme to recycle underwear, where material from bras is used to make carpet backing.

Every year, approximately 19 million bras are thrown away at landfill sites. Unlike most garments, there is no market for second hand underwear and charity shops rarely accept it. Over time, a bra that has been worn and washed frequently loses functionality and is thrown away.

To limit waste, Nudea is working with a recycling company to extract textiles and wire to recycle bras. Fibres are made into a pelletised material that is used in the production of many products, including carpet backing. The wire from the bras is shredded and makes washers, bolts, and nuts.

The CEO of Nudea, Priya Downes, said:

“There’s no denying the fact that underwear is one of the most polluting categories in the fashion industry, so we wanted to address this by offering a recycling scheme.”

Nudea is promoting its recycling scheme through humorous social media posts. The company is encouraging customers to think “one in, one out.” If they recycle their old bra, they receive a 20% discount on a new one.

Carpets in North Wales and Chester homes often contain recycled materials, but few will realise that they may be walking on what had once been underwear. Like Nudea, carpet manufacturers are committed to more sustainable business practices. There are recycling schemes in Cheshire and North Wales that extract materials from worn carpets to make raw materials for other products.