A new bra with a sugarcane cup made by lingerie manufacturer Gelmart is a small step in a much bigger journey for intimates to ramp up sustainability.
By guest author Rachel Cernansky from Vogue Business
A new bra with a sugarcane cup made by lingerie manufacturer Gelmart is a small step in a much bigger journey for intimates to ramp up sustainability.
The first mass-produced, plant-based bra is set to launch in August, Vogue Business can exclusively reveal. The bra by US-based intimates manufacturer Gelmart will include a bra pad made from sugarcane instead of traditional foam. It’s a material innovation that, while touching on just one component for now, could mark a significant step for sustainable lingerie.
Intimates have fallen behind other fashion categories in addressing sustainability due to a combination of lack of new technology, less urgency and a degree of inertia, experts suggest. “There’s a realisation that there hasn’t been much innovation in the category when it comes to sustainability,” says CEO of Gelmart International Yossi Nasser. “You hear the words. You haven’t seen much action yet.”
While much of the apparel industry has faced public pressure to improve its environmental impact, the lingerie sector has largely been addressing the issue of inclusivity instead. There have been much-needed strides in that area, with Victoria’s Secret undergoing a rebrand to heal its public image and more options emerging on the market for women overall, including a broader selection of sizes and colours. Smaller players have been the most active in figuring out solutions, notably The Very Good Bra, which claims its bra is fully compostable.
However, while sustainability is still a niche focus for intimate brands, experts say the floodgates are opening and more established brands in particular will need to catch up. “A lot of midsize companies who are just now thinking about sustainability, or perhaps still not even thinking about it, are going to find themselves in a very difficult spot because of their delay,” says Maxine Bédat, founder of the New Standard Institute.
Technical strides
For such a delicate category, lingerie requires serious engineering. Bras typically are made up of 25 to 40 components, and there hasn’t been much commercial focus on developing better alternatives for the many different materials and processes involved.
“Bras and lingerie are the most particular products regarding fit as it touches your body directly and requires support, meaning getting the feel and structure right becomes that much more important,” says Ranjan Roy, vice president of strategy at lingerie brand Adore Me. “Incorporating new materials, especially recycled ones, presents a number of challenges here.”
To make its plant-based bra, which will be sold exclusively by Walmart, Gelmart worked with Allbirds supplier Braskem who helped develop and refine the sugarcane-based foam into a pad that could function the way it needed. The hardest part, says Gelmart’s chief product officer Eve Bastug, was getting the molding right, which determines how well the cup will fit and support across the full range of sizes.
It took many failed trials and three years of development before Gelmart came up with the version that passed its various tests, from washing and drying to consumer satisfaction.
Gelmart focused on the pad, they say, because it’s the part of the bra that has the most impact and is the hardest to find an environmentally-friendly replacement for. “We have seen innovation but when it comes to pads, since they’ve been developed, it’s just been foam. We’ve had memory foam, but there really hasn’t been anything of sort to even use the word sustainable with it,” says Bastug.
Where’s the scale
Observers will be watching to see if Gelmart’s push into the space, developed specifically on Walmart’s request, could have a ripple effect across the market.
Gelmart’s Nasser feels confident it will. “If Walmart can do it at this price point, then it will influence other suppliers for other brands and retailers,” he says. “That was the main point we wanted to come through. In order to make a [large] impact, it has to start at the top.” The company plans to expand the approach to other products and components. “With the learnings from the three-year quest to solve this challenge, we’re using that to inform other supply chain decisions.”
Where’s the scale
Observers will be watching to see if Gelmart’s push into the space, developed specifically on Walmart’s request, could have a ripple effect across the market.
Gelmart’s Nasser feels confident it will. “If Walmart can do it at this price point, then it will influence other suppliers for other brands and retailers,” he says. “That was the main point we wanted to come through. In order to make a [large] impact, it has to start at the top.” The company plans to expand the approach to other products and components. “With the learnings from the three-year quest to solve this challenge, we’re using that to inform other supply chain decisions.”
Still, Gelmart’s innovation is not a home run for sustainability experts. Scientists have concerns about sugarcane’s impacts, including deforestation and emissions of potent greenhouse gases. Gelmart says its sugarcane is sourced from the Braskem Responsible Ethanol Sourcing programme.
Although pads are only a small component that isn’t used in all bras, and are losing popularity with consumers, according to industry analysis by Edited, it could still be a gamechanger, says Edited analyst Kayla Marci. “This [plant-based bra pad] is undoubtedly a great start in a category lagging in sustainable material innovation, especially as the world reopens and the time is ripe to push products that differ from the typical pandemic wardrobe,” she says. “This could potentially be a catalyst to spark more innovation with plant-based or recycled materials for all bra components.”
Making up for lost time
Analysts say moving forward, it’s imperative for lingerie to catch up when it comes to sustainability. The faster brands move, the more advantage they’ll have.
“With consideration to the state of the environment and intimates being an affordable basic that everyone wears, I think [the lack of focus on sustainability] has been an oversight but also an opportunity,” says Marci. “As smaller companies are entering the space with sustainability built into their brand, it’s one that retailers are starting to recognise as well.”
Heist Studios launched its eco lace collection in May; Naja uses digital printing technology to slash water use; Parade claims to have created the first carbon-neutral underwear with recycled yarns; and The Very Good Bra says its zero-waste product line is fully compostable. “Lingerie is amongst the least sustainable clothing made,” says Stephanie Devine, founder and CEO of The Very Good Bra. “I wanted to create the world’s first circular economy bra.”
However, eyes are on the big players. In a statement, Victoria’s Secret said it takes its “environmental footprint very seriously,” and has improved chemical and factory wastewater management and unow ses more sustainable fabrics. The company also joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition this year. “We will be using their tools to drive even more environmental and social responsibility initiatives throughout our supply chain,” said a spokesperson.
Lingerie has particularly long lead times of up to two years, says Adore Me’s Roy, so even companies with efforts underway may not have visible results yet. He says working with the right suppliers is critical, because so much of the research and development is new, complex and requires willingness, expertise, patience and capacity. Mas, a Sri Lankan supplier that’s highly regarded by others in the industry, has been a good partner for Adore Me for those reasons, he says.
Elsewhere, lingerie startup Cuup launched a take-back programme in June allowing customers to mail back their used bras for recycling. Gelmart, too, is working on other aspects of sustainability. Its dyeing process is one of the biggest challenges, says Bastug, but that’s not unique to intimates, and they are aiming to develop biodegradable versions of the metal components like wires and clasps.
However, it’s a long road ahead until the full bra can be considered sustainable, and Gelmart recognises that, Bastug says. Even though the sugarcane-based pad is the most complex project she’s ever worked on, it’s also just the first step. “For our category, this is just the beginning.”