Triumph International & Wacoal Bra Recycling in Japan
Have you ever considered recycling your bra?
Lingerie firms Wacoal and Triumph International have been collecting used bras from women in Japan and recycling them for use as a source of alternative fuel. Triumph has collected more than 200,000 bras since it began recycling activities in 2009 and turned them into 14 tons of fuel and Wacoal, started a recycling program in 2008, has collected more than 179,200 bras and produced 17.9 tons of the fuel.
Both companies are helping producing a type of industrial fuel called refuse paper and plastic fuel (RPF), made of waste paper and plastic, including fibers. The bra-based RPF fuel is similar to coal, but emits far less carbon dioxide and costs 75 per cent less than coal.
Many Japanese women find it embarrassing and uneasy to throw out their underwear along with other waste, as many cities and towns have regulations requiring residents to put garbage in transparent plastic bags and they’re “concerned about their underwear being stolen by perverts.” A sales assistant in Tokyo lingerie shop explains a recycling system for bras to a customer by giving out a free plastic bags for old brassieres.
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