It’s Easy Being Green:
How Our Bra Business Does it
By Lisa J. Bunin PhD, November 9, 2023
CEO, BraLisa
If you have the motivation, curiosity, and commitment, it’s not that hard to become a green business. It takes a lot of thought; investigative research; and you may need to pay a little more money for some things; but it’s worth it!
Greenwashing vs. Green Action
Companies do a lot a greenwashing. They do it by providing false claims about how their products are eco-friendly, when in fact they are not.
Greenwashing happens after a company has a chemical spill or accident and during events like Earth Day. Many times, polluting businesses seize these opportunities to boost their reputation. They create questionable stories about how their products are eco-friendly or reduce climate change. But it’s really a thinly veiled attempt to hide the truth – that their production systems harm human health and the environment.
In contrast, green production occurs when companies take steps to reduce their environmental footprint. They do so by removing fossil fuel-based materials and toxic chemicals from their production and packaging. And they cut waste, minimize energy use, and choose non-toxic/less-toxic alternatives. Green production is integral to how green companies do business. That’s also how we do business at BraLisa.
Green Production – How We Do It
- Our bras are made from sustainably grown, organic cotton – no synthetic, fossil fuel-based toxic pesticides or fertilizers are used.
- The labels inside our bras are water-based, embedded in the fabric, and not made from petro-chemical-based plastics.
- We pack and ship our bras in recycled and recyclable, unbleached, kraft paper and boxes.
- We have a zero-plastic use policy – no single use plastic at all.
- Our bras are made in the USA. This substantially cuts down on the fossil fuel used for transport at every stage of production.
- All our bra materials are made in the USA, except for the hooks and eyes because no US producers exist.
We’re still on our journey!
Sourcing Challenges
When we launched BraLisa, we faced our share of sourcing challenges. For example, we wanted our bra materials to be US-made to cut our fossil fuel use. Yet, we couldn’t find a US supplier for the hook and eye closure we use in our shoulder straps. So, we tested other US-made closures, but none met our needs. We had no choice but to buy hooks and eyes overseas.
It’s a journey, rarely a sprint! We’re always asking questions of our suppliers and looking for opportunities for continuous improvement.
We Care about You and Future Generations
BraLisa produces high-quality, organic cotton comfort bras for breast surgery recovery and everyday comfort. And we care about the Earth and how we leave it for future generations.
My experience as an entrepreneur has shown that treading lightly on the Earth benefits both businesses and communities.
BraLisa bases our production decisions on what’s good for your healing, your health, and what’s good for the planet. That’s why we use organic cotton in our bras, resist manufacturing them overseas, and source US-made materials.
It can cost more to be eco-friendly, but in the long term, it’s an investment in our planet and our future.
Learn more about BraLisa and the values that inspire us to do the work we do @ Bralisa.com.