Sustainable Development Goal 5

Gender Equality

Goal 5 is: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Women and girls are at the heart of what we do - so it's no shock that we've chosen this as a goal to work towards. Y.O.U Underwear started when our founder met many young women and girls who didn't have access to something we take for granted - underwear.

In some communities it is estimated that 1 in 10 girls miss school on their periods due to a lack of underwear and sanitary products. Without proper period protection, they’re left with no choice but to miss school – up to 12 weeks a year! This translates into a considerable divergence in educational progress and access to opportunities.

We work with India's leading ethical and sustainable manufacturer to ensure nobody is exploited in our supply chain.

By adopting the principles of ethical marketing, we're empowering women to feel confident and comfortable in their underwear. 

Our Buy One Give One model helps empower women and girls.

Sustainable Development Goal 6

Clean water & Sanitation

Goal 6 is: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Alongside providing underwear and improving sanitation for women and girls, we also donate to Just A Drop through purchases of our menstrual cups to support their work. Just a Drop help to provide sustainable sanitation, water and menstrual hygiene programs globally - including in Uganda, where the idea for Y.O.U Underwear started. 

Our environmental impact also plays a role here, as we use 100% organic cotton that's certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard. Organic cotton creates 98% less water and soil pollution than conventional cotton as no pesticides or insecticides are used, as well as using 71% less water.

Sustainable Development Goal 8

Decent work & Economic growth

Goal 8 is: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

We work with India’s leading ethical and sustainable manufacturer who is committed to supporting local communities, providing living wages and not using sweatshops or child labour. They are also active supporters of the Chetna Project, which works with small farmers to improve their livelihood options.

We ensure that all our products are made ethically and that our manufacturer provides safe working conditions and living wages, as a minimum. When you buy Y.O.U Underwear undies, you can be sure that the person making your clothes is treated well. The factory we use operates under SA8000 certified social standards. In addition to the basics – such as no child labour and working hours/minimum wage compliance – they’ve got a number of extra initiatives of their own, providing transport, meals and health planning for workers, as well as funding for their children’s education

Sustainable Development Goal 10

Reduced inequalities

Goal 10 is: Reduce inequality within and among countries.

Period poverty is a huge obstacle to achieving gender equality. In some communities it is estimated that 1 in 10 girls miss school on their periods due to a lack of underwear and sanitary products. Without proper period protection, they’re left with no choice but to miss school – up to 12 weeks a year! This translates into a considerable divergence in educational progress and access to opportunities.

The fashion industry is similarly rife with inequality, with pay disparity and wage theft trapping global garment workers in a cycle of poverty. Gender-based violence and harassment is also commonplace in clothing factories.

At Y.O.U, we’re looking to dismantle these barriers by improving access to underwear, and ensuring makers in our supply chain are paid fairly and treated equally.

Sustainable Development Goal 12

Responsible consumption & production

Goal 12 is: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

We are committed to zero waste production, we package our underwear in reusable organic cotton bags, use recycled and recyclable outer packaging, and don’t use any single use plastics.

We’ve switched to biodegradable mailers and have a recycling scheme for our underwear. Our underwear is also Fairtrade and Vegan! We believe in ethical marketing, so use ‘real’ people in all our photoshoots, with no airbrushing.

Our use of organic cotton also feeds into this commitment – not only do organic cotton growing systems help to replenish and maintain soil fertility, they also allow farmers to be released from their dependency on artificial chemicals and are not associated with international streams of exploitation. Organic cotton is also much better for consumers, as pesticide residue can remain trapped in fibres right into the finished product.

The manufacturer of our underwear – all the way from yarn to Y.O.U undies – is designed with responsibility and efficiency in mind! Check out our step-by-step manufacturing process for more information.

Sustainable Development Goal 15

Life on land

Goal 15 is: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

It’s no secret that the fashion industry is killing our earth. From driving global deforestation and desertification to polluting the local environment, garment production is undeniably impacting life on land. We’re constantly working to ensure that the production of our undies leaves as small a footprint as possible.

We only use Fairtrade and GOTS certified organic cotton that is PETA-Approved vegan. Why? Because it has a number of benefits for the planet and people, including:

• Fairtrade works with cotton farmers to ensure they are farming sustainably and are paid the premium market rate.
• GOTS certified organic cotton is grown without pesticides and insecticides, which contaminate local waterways and pose a risk to farmers’ health  - learn more about organic cotton’s water footprint here.
• Organic cotton is better for the soil, creating 98% less soil pollution than conventional cotton
• Organic cotton promotes biodiversity, and helps farmers to move away from monocultural farming practices