A Guide to Ethical + Organic Bras (and Bralettes)
Last updated November 2021.
As I’ve said before, many things can be purchased second-hand and pre-loved. Undergarments, not so much. A lightly used bra might possibly be an option for some (versus lightly used underwear, which is a no from me). Personally though, I’ve always purchased my bras new.
And I’ve always struggled to find a bra that isn’t made of polyester or synthetic fabric. Crop top style bras can be found made of cotton, but they don’t tend to be very supportive, so they don’t work for everyone.
Fortunately, as demand for ethical and sustainable products has grown, so have the options available to us. I thought I’d put together a post of all the sustainable bra brands that I’ve come across. I’ll add to the list as more become available, so if you know any great ones I’ve missed, be sure to let us know!
(This is the second part of this series, you can find the women’s ethical underwear post here.)
This post contains affiliate links. You can read more at the end of the post.
AmaElla
Company HQ: UK / Fairtrade: No / Organic: YES / Made from: Cotton / Made in: Portugal / Ships: Worldwide
A Cambridge-based UK business with a focus on ethical and organic lingerie offering a small number of organic cotton bras.
Sizes: S – L (32A – 38C)
Tried and tested: I’ve not tried this brand but it’s one that my readers have recommended.
Website: amaella.com
Julie May
Company HQ: UK / Fairtrade: No / Organic: YES / Made from: Cotton and silk / Made in: Hong Kong / Ships: Worldwide
A UK company specializing in certified organic Pima cotton and silk bras and briefs, with a range of styles including underwired and non-underwired options, and sports bras. Their products are accredited by AllergyUK to be friendly for those with allergic reactions to synthetic fibres.
Sizes: 8 – 18 / 32B – 40G (size options vary with style)
Tried and tested: I haven’t personally tested this brand. If you have, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Website: juliemay.co.uk
Le Buns
Company HQ: Australia / Fairtrade: No / Organic: YES / Made from: Cotton / Made in: Indonesia / Ships: Australia
Boutique Australian company specializing in organic cotton intimates and swimwear made from discarded fishing nets. They have a range of organic cotton bralettes mostly in a crop-top/sportswear style, in natural colours.
Sizes: XS – XL
Tried and tested: not a brand I’ve tried, but one that has been recommended to me by my readers.
Website: lebuns.com.au
Living Crafts
Company HQ: Germany / Fairtrade: YES / Organic: YES / Made from: Cotton and elastane / Made in: India / Ships: Worldwide
The bras offered by Living Crafts are all cotton. There are a few styles (pictured is the Triangle bra). The Irelia has recycled polyamide straps.
Sizes: XS – XL (The Irelia bra has regular bra sizing from 75A to 85C)
Website: livingcrafts.de
Organic Basics
Company HQ: Denmark / Fairtrade: No / Organic: YES / Made from: Cotton / Tencel / recycled nylon Made in: Turkey / Portugal Ships: Worldwide
Organic Basics have two regular bras: the triangle bra, made from cotton, and the lite bralette, made from Tencel. (They also have a sports range made out of recycled nylon.)
Sizes: XS – XL
Tried and tested: I have the triangle bra in size M (I’m usually a 34C). I think I’m probably between their sizes, and so I don’t find the bra as supportive as the Very Good Bra, but I do find it incredibly soft and comfortable, and it’s the bra I’ve lived in for the last few months.
Website: organicbasics.com
(For readers outside Australia: Organic Basics have given me a 10% discount code to share with you TREADOBC. For Australian readers: Organic Basics have a newly launched Australian website that doesn’t accept this code and only stocks a small range. When I purchased my products this site didn’t exist and I used the US site which has the full range.)
Pact
Company HQ: USA / Fairtrade: YES (Factory) / Organic: YES / Made from: Cotton Made in: India / Ships: USA and Canada (International shipping currently on hold)
A US company selling organic cotton products with few different bralette styles (all 95% organic cotton, 5% elastane). Several bras are recommended for A – D cups, others for smaller cups only.
Sizes: XS – XL
Tried and tested: I’ve not personally tried this brand, but several of my readers recommended them to me. I like that they offer a number of different styles and patterns.
Website: wearpact.com
Peau Ethique
Company HQ: France / Fairtrade: YES (SAB000) / Organic: YES / Made from: organic cotton Made in: India? / Ships: Worldwide?
Living Crafts is a French mother-and-daughter company making organic cotton and silk underwear. They make cotton bras with and without underwiring and also a nursing bra. If you want something a little more glamorous, this is where to look.
Sizes: 85A – 100E
Website: peau-ethique.com
The Very Good Bra
Company HQ: Australia / Fairtrade: YES / Organic: YES / Made from: Tencel / Made in: Hong Kong and China / Ships: Worldwide
If there is one bra I would recommend above all others, it is the Very Good Bra. The creator, Stephanie, wanted to create a bra that was totally zero waste, right down to the thread (Tencel, which is compostable), elastic (tree rubber) and labels (organic cotton).
Sizes: AA – E. Currently available in black, vintage pink, navy and Liberty fabric with a few different patterns.
Tried and tested: It’s firmer and offers a little more support than the cotton brands I’ve tried that tend to be a little stretchier. I have size 34C in black. I love everything about this bra, from the fit to the ethics to the 100% compostability.
Website: theverygoodbra.com
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Now I’d love to hear from you! Especially if you’ve tried and tested a brand – and whether you loved it or actually not so much! Any other comments or thoughts? Please share below!
Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click a link to another website and choose to make a purchase, I may be compensated a small amount at no extra cost to yourself. My recommendations are always made with you, my readers, as my priority. I only align myself with companies whose products and ethos I genuinely love, and I only share companies and products with you that I believe you will be interested in.
The Very Good Bra looks wonderful.. until you get to the price… $100 for a bra? I just can’t face that.
Hi Leah! It’s definitely a big mindset shift. Before I started looking into ethical bras when my last one wore out I was used to buying off the sale racks in department stores – I actually think my last ‘regular’ bra (Calvin Klein) was about $16 (it was 80% off or something). But back in the old days I’d have a few different options too. These days I keep my wardrobe pretty minimal and buy almost all my clothing second-hand, and rarely buy anything regardless, so I actually spend more on underwear and bras than anything else, which kind of seems backwards, if you know what I mean. But it’s taken a few years for me to transition to this way of thinking, and figure out a wardrobe that works for me and which clothes I wear (and last). And all of this has helped me re-jig my budget. I have an Organic Basics bra too, it’s not quite as ethical or compostable and slightly less supportive but it’s extremely comfortable and a much lower price. There’s a price for perfection! And if you can’t face it, there are lots of other still great options :)
Pact looks good too, until you try to figure out your size… If I measure under my bust, as they tell you to do in their guide, it says I should choose size S. Normally I’m XL… Does anyone have experience if their sizeguide is correct or not?
I can totally relate to this! I try to avoid buying clothing online unless I know the brand already and I had palpitations when ordering a bra. I can’t bear the thought of getting something and it not fitting. I find it helpful to look on Instagram (even if you don’t have an account you can browse company accounts on a computer) and try to find pictures of models or real life people that look a similar size to me, and see what size they’re wearing. (Sometimes listings say things like, Jenny is 5’10” and wears a size M.) I’d also recommend emailing customer support and asking for assistance. It is an important thing to get right!
Different company but the same drama here, and when I ordered according to their sizes and had to return both of them, I’ve been told that as I’ve already returned 1 bra they won’t take the second one back. Whaat? I am really, really unhappy and unless I get some positive action from this particular company, I’m going to start naming names :-(
Lucy and Yak, a UK based company that make organic dungarees, have just brought out a range of bamboo bras for under £20. Haven’t tried them yet but they look lovely.
Hi Fiona and thanks for the tip! I’m generally not a fan of bamboo as most of it is rayon, a not very eco friendly synthetic and non-biodegradable fabric. I notice on their website that they do state it’s a “chemically intensive process”. But keen to know more about their other products and will keep my eye on them!
Agree with Leah re the price – also only one company seem to realise that ladies boobs come in bigger than a D cup – just not practical at the moment either from a price or support perspective :(
Hi Ann, I know a few readers asked when I first said that I was going to write this post about bras for larger sizes. It does seem that they are very thin on the ground currently. But I think change is coming, and if I hear of any others I will update the list!
Hi Lindsay, have you seen the clothing company in Brisbane QLD called Merino Country. They are Australian made and made of merino wool. I have been buying their bras and undies for the last couple of years. I am in the Pilbara and they are comfortable in the hot or not so Hot! Check them out. cheers Caz.
Thanks for the tip Caz. These look good – but are they really supportive? I am a DD and I hate to ‘bounce’ when I walk. Anybody found a good supportive eco-bra? It’s the one clothing item I cannot find.
I promise I will update if I do find any, Ness! I might be a smaller size but I can still relate on the ‘not-wanting-to-bounce’ front! Hopefully someone will see this gap in the market soon :)
Try Blessed Earth
blessedearth.com.au
I actually purchased my duvet from this company Margit so I know of them, but I always forget that they sell underwear. I actually didn’t realise they did bras at all. And they have XXL, I notice. I will have to update this post when I get a moment – thanks for the tip!
About bamboo (see comment above). My understanding is that processing bamboo into cloth is very water intensive….just sayin.
Hi there, yes I’m not sure if you saw my reply to the comment, but I’m personally not a fan of bamboo for this reason – most bamboo is processed into a material that is basically rayon, it’s pretty non-environmentally friendly and not biodegradable. I really want to write a post about all the different fabrics sometime. Hopefully soon!
none of them look like they would be very supportive for those of us with F/G cups size or over unfortunately
I will keep a lookout Annette, I know a lot of my readers asked about bras for larger sizes. If I find anything, I will update!
As I wear an H cup, bra hunting is frustrating .I am allergic to petroleum products , so can only wear natural fibres . Yes, I have paid $150 for bras, then they started making them with polyester.
Hi Lynne, wow – allergic to petroleum products must be tricky with clothing nowadays. Do you have any brands you can recommend that use natural fibres?
Treading my own path is the best most thought provoking eco-friendly blog on the internet, I love reading every post. I was even encouraged to go #zerowaste myself. #EnvoronmentalRevolution
Thanks Gana :)
Thanks for the research, Lindsay! You definitely included some companies I didn’t know before.
Thanks Frieda, I do hope to add to this list as I find more great companies out there :)
I just checked out the amaella website – approx A$94 for a bra! One Powerball – and then I can afford one.
For the UK Molke are fab. A living wage employer and really inclusive, up to m cup I believe. They are genuinely supportive for larger busts. They last well and I’ve had some second hand as well as new.
At a point, I am beginning to love these Bralettes. Well, I am currently on research for the latest designs of bralettes that I can get so this got me here. I really love the ideas you have here and hope to get more from you.
Nothing for me here. I’m a 32FF. I want a bra in my size and with underwire. Non underwire bras just don’t do the job at this size. Also fuck any and all brands who label their bras in s/m/l sizing. How is that supposed to be size inclusive, unless the term isn’t supposed to include short women with big tits and a small back size? Freya have been in business for years and do bras from a 28B to a 42 or 44K. Call yourself size inclusive when you do this, not when you have a bralette in an XXL thanks.
My bras cost £40 when I buy fast fashion. I am a carer so I can’t afford to spend £100+ on a bra. 3 bras (minimum needed for adequate rotation and care) is £300, every 6 months regardless due to how elastics wear and size fluctuations.
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