HARA is based in Australia and produces the clothes themselves. By keeping production in-house, the brand has direct influence and control over working conditions. HARA attaches great importance to the safety and well-being of their employees. The company follows the guidelines of the Australian Textile, Clothing, Footwear and Associated Industries Award 2010 (TCF award). Among other things, this ensures that a minimum wage has been set.
HARA products are made from bamboo viscose. Bamboo is often praised as a sustainable fibre, but at COSH! we are not so convinced. Despite the fact that bamboo grows very quickly and is therefore quickly profitable, processing it often requires a lot of chemicals and large amounts of water. Production also usually takes place in China and the environmental impact is not so obvious.
HARA, on the other hand, does produce in a closed-loop, in which no chemicals are released. The bamboo is grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers. At HARA, all bamboo viscose is also OEKO-Tex certified. This guarantees that no harmful chemicals are present in the product.
In addition, HARA uses natural, plant-based dyes. These are more sustainable alternatives to conventional textile dyes, as they are natural and biodegradable so do not cause pollution during production.
These dyes are, nevertheless, not a fully sustainable alternative because a large quantity of them is always needed to dye textiles. If textile producers all switched to natural dyes, an immense amount of them would be needed. This would take up agricultural land that is needed for food production, for example. This is why HARA uses low-impact reactive dyes for certain colours. These are GOTS-certified dyes that do not contain harmful chemicals and also use less water.
The natural materials and dyes used by HARA are biodegradable. When different materials are mixed together, the product is much more difficult to recycle and thus less circular.
The quality and comfort of the underwear requires elasticity in the products. Therefore, a small amount of synthetic spandex is added to the garments, making the garment more difficult to recycle afterwards.
As production is in-house, HARA seems to have a short supply chain. Both design and production happen in Melbourne, Australia. Unfortunately, no information is available on the origin of the bamboo viscose. The largest production countries for this raw material are in Asia and South America. The lack of information makes it difficult to assess HARA’s supply chain.
The HARA collection is completely vegan and therefore animal-friendly. Unfortunately, no information is shared about the origin of the bamboo. This makes it difficult to assess the impact of bamboo farming on local ecosystems and biodiversity.
HARA takes a slower, more thoughtful approach to fashion. The products are made with care from high-quality materials. This ensures that your purchase has a long lifespan. Through HARA’s site, you can find care tips to take good care of your lingerie and keep it beautiful for longer.
The designs are basic with a focus on comfort and available in a wide range of sizes. HARA does not have an extensive collection, but each product is available in different colour variations. This way, the brand designs timeless lingerie, real slow fashion!
HARA is working to make their supply chain completely transparent. That’s why they chose not to work with different manufacturers, but to produce all their clothes themselves.
A next step would be to go further down the supply chain and disclose their material suppliers. That way, it would be clear where the bamboo and dyes come from.
Looking for comfy lingerie made from sustainable materials? Find out below where you can find HARA the label.
