GreenYour.com

The men's underwear market in the United States—encompassing boxers, briefs, boxer briefs, undershirts, and thermal undergarments—was a $4.5 billion industry in 2006. Driving forces in the market include necessity and factors of comfort, which differ from the more luxury-oriented women's underwear market. From 2004 to 2006, sales of fashion-forward, non-traditional men's knit underwear styles—boxer briefs, thongs, and bikinis—rose while sales of traditional briefs dropped alongside white-colored underwear.[1] Regardless of style or function, men's underwear adds to several textile-related environmental concerns.

Underwear composition

Men's underwear is generally made from cotton, a natural fiber, although synthetic fibers such as nylon and spandex are also commonly used. The detrimental environmental impact of the underwear industry is rooted in the harvest and production of conventional cotton. Cotton is considered to be the world's most pesticide-intensive crop. While only 2.4 percent of farmland worldwide is dedicated to cotton, it accounts for 24 percent of global insecticide sales and 11 percent of global pesticide sales.[2] In total, $2 billion worth of chemicals are sprayed on global cotton crops each year, almost half of which are classified as hazardous by the World Health Organization.[3]

The various chemicals used to treat conventional cotton can harm beneficial insects and soil micro-organisms, pollute ground and surface water, and adversely affect the health of humans and wildlife—including fish, birds, and livestock. Additionally, up to 70 percent genetically modified organism (GMO) seeds are used in conventional cotton farming in the United States.[4] The farming of conventional cotton is also water-intensive. Approximately 400 gallons of water are required to produce a single cotton undershirt.[5]

Nylon, another synthetic material used in lingerie (as well as in carpets, tires, auto parts, and various other products), has also been shown to have adverse environmental effects.[6] The United States produces over 2 million tons of nylon annually, a process that requires over 2.2 million metric tons of adipic acid, which in turn requires the oxidation of cyclohexanol or cyclohexanone by nitric acid, a process that produces nitrous oxide (N2O), an ozone-depleting greenhouse gas.[7]

Underwear care

Once underwear is brought home from the store, it inevitably requires washing. Home laundering is a frequent necessity that consumes large amounts of water and energy. Eighty percent of the energy that goes into clothing is attributed to laundering rather than the clothing's production or distribution process.[8] The national laundry load amounts to 35 billion home laundering cycles per year, which cost an average household about $150 annually.[9][10]

Trashing underwear

Overall, the US generated some 8 million tons of waste from clothing, including underwear, and footwear in 2005—roughly 54 pounds per person.[11] This contributes to the growing textile waste problem: it is estimated that the US produces 8.75 billion pounds of textile waste every year, which takes up about 4 percent of landfill space across the country.[12]

Glossary

• genetically modified organism: A GMO results from merging the genetic make-up of two organisms to create a desired byproduct that could otherwise not be found in nature. Engineering GMOs is a common practice in conventional farming, and studies have shown that GMOs pose significant environmental risks such as killing off living, natural organisms and becoming immune to pesticides.

External links

• Wyzman.com: The Origin of Underwear
• Sustainable Cotton Project