Still debating over whether purchasing a real or a fake Christmas tree is more eco-friendly? If you celebrate the holiday and are still treeless, as of this writing you only have 10 more days to choose between an imitation plastic one and a 100% genuine evergreen conifer. Here's a winning nugget of information that might just sway you over to Team Real: an actual pine tree can be recycled into some seriously fashionable lingerie.
Yes, folks, the silky soft, organic bras, underwear and other loungewear designed by Parisian fashion line Do You Green were once the prickly, green, fresh-smelling needles that make such a mess on your living room floor after the holiday is over.
How does a Christmas tree become a pair of chic, $30 (they're environmentally friendly, not inexpensive) undies? The first step is for folks to recycle their biodegradable tree instead of chucking it in a Dumpster or throwing it out on the curb. Do You Green, like lots of companies, buys the trees from recycling businesses or cities. But instead of shredding it into mulch, the lingerie manufacturer turns the bark and spiky needles into fabric by processing them with enzymes.
The result is a viscose material that is similar in structure to an ultra-soft cotton. However, according to Do You Green's website, the procedure used to create the pine needle-based fabric uses significantly less water than what it takes to produce the typical cotton cloth. That's good news since it takes about 700 gallons of H2O to make just one cotton t-shirt. The lush colors of the lingerie are also obtained through non-toxic dyes.