Wacoal Philippines recycling old bras into eco-friendly fuel

Kaycee Enerva

Kaycee Enerva

Made in Canva

Wacoal Philippines and Japanese recycling company Guun have re-launched their program of collecting used bras from customers to be recycled into eco-friendly “fluff” fuel. 

Ideally, underwear – especially bras – should be replaced from six months to a year. A bra that is too worn out, too old, or too stretched out may not provide the support women need. 

Unfortunately, the worn-out bras disposed of in the bin add up to the 15 million tonnes of textile waste generated each year. 

With Wacoal’s company’s recycling program, instead of being thrown away, customers can bring their old, worn-out, and unwanted bras to any Wacoal store in Metro Manila in exchange for a gift. 

A maximum of four bras can be filled in each “Bra Recycling Bag”, which will be collected, sealed, and delivered to the Guun’s recycling facility in Cebu, where they will be directly processed into Fluff Fuel.

The term “Fluff Fuel” comes from the word fluffy and is one of the highest grades of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). Fluff Fuels are produced through shredding, compressing, and packing plastic, textile or paper waste.

Previously, the company has given face towels or reusable mugs in exchange for used bras. This year, Wacoal is giving out reusable eco-bags made from cotton to customers participating in the campaign. 

Since the program’s launch in 2017, Wacoal Philippines has collected an estimated 5000 bags of used bras.

Kaycee Enerva

Kaycee Enerva

A digital content manager based in the Philippines, Kaycee Enerva has written for multiple publications over several years. A graduate of Computer Science, she exchanged a career in IT to pursue her passion for writing. She's slowly practicing sustainability through period cups, and eating more plant-based food.

1 comment

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    Wow! That’s awesome! This is such a great idea to help our mother earth 🌍

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