… and also “to thwart perverts.” So greenwashing finally pays off.
From the Mainichi Daily News:
Major underwear makers are collecting used bras to recycle into a solid fuel for industrial use, a move aimed at raising their profile as environmentally conscious companies as well as offering a solution to ease the anxiety of Japanese women who feel uncomfortable about tossing out their underwear in the trash…
“I won’t have to worry about what to do with my old bras any longer if manufacturers take them back,” a 33-year-old housewife said at a Triumph store in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward. The woman said she used to cut her bras into pieces before throwing them into a garbage bag.
Many Japanese women often find it embarrassing and uneasy to throw out their underwear along with other waste as many cities and towns in Japan have regulations requiring residents to put garbage into transparent plastic bags for collection at designated pickup points.
Many women are also concerned about their underwear being stolen by perverts.
“While considering what we can do for environmental conservation, we came up with an idea that can also ease the anxiety among our customers,” a Triumph spokesman said.