Your Ultimate Guide To UK Ethical Men’s Underwear Brands
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Looking for the best eco-friendly and ethical men’s underwear? Read on for my top recommendations – from the brands that use organic cotton, to ethically sourced bamboo, hemp and more.
If your underwear drawer is looking a little tired, you’re in luck. There’s a growing number of brilliant men’s ethical and sustainable brands right here in the UK, showing that you don’t have to give up comfort or style to make a better choice.
To help you out, I’ve rounded up my favourite UK brands catering for men looking to make those better choices. Whether you prefer the freedom of loose boxers or the support of fitted trunks and briefs, there’s plenty to choose from.
With sustainable fabrics, including breathable organic cotton, responsibly sourced bamboo, and silky soft Tencel – these are all made by brands that are serious about sustainability and fairness.
The Ethical & Sustainable Men’s Underwear Brands to Check Out
As always seems to be the case when it comes to men’s ethical clothing, the market for ethical men’s underwear is considerably smaller than the women’s ethical market. So you are a little more constrained. But don’t despair – the market is growing. As such, I’ve tracked down some great men’s ethical underwear companies for you today.
Use the quicklinks to jump to a particular brand or keep scrolling for the full post:
JustWears
- Price Range: From £39.99 for two pairs
- Size: S – XXL
- Available directly from JustWears
JustWears offers ergonomically designed underwear that is designed to “treat your crown jewels like royalty they are”.
What’s so special about JustWears? It makes it undies from its exclusive ‘MicroModal Air’ fabric. This is an eco-friendly type of modal that’s made from sustainably grown European wood. JustWears says this is more durable than cotton, feels softer than silk, plus is carbon neutral.
This fabric isn’t just good for the environment – it’s good for your skin too. It’s quick-drying, helping to keep you cool down below. Plus, it’s naturally antibacterial, helping to prevent body odour.
JustWears has also paid special attention to how the underwear is made to ensure maximum comfort. The stitching technique and tag-free waistband help to reduce skin irritation. The waistband is also designed to be anti-chafe, anti-ride up and anti-roll. And there’s a longer inseam for a snug fit.
Available in a range of styles – including trunks, boxer briefs, and briefs – and available in a wide range of colours, there’s something for every preference.
Use the code 10OFFCOMFORT at the checkout to get 10% off your first order at JustWears.
Project Pico
- Price Range: £22.00 per pair
- Sizes: S – XL
- Available from Brothers We Stand
For ethical men’s underwear made from Fairtrade organic cotton, then head straight for Project Pico.
These soft and comfortable boxer briefs are ethically made in India using Fairtrade organic cotton that is sourced directly from Fairtrade farmers’ cooperatives.
Project Pico’s tailors receive a living wage which is far above the legal minimum wage in India. Workers can also apply for interest-free loans so that they can buy land and build their own houses.
In addition, the Fairtrade fund supports various projects within local communities. This includes projects such as creating safe drinking water sources, funding further education and organising women’s self-help groups.
The dye used is also OEKO-TEX certified – meaning it has been proven to contain no harmful substances. Project Pico also cleverly recycles all of its dye water, to ensure that no water is wasted.
BAM
- Price Range: from £19 (discounted multibuys available)
- Size: S – XXL
- Available directly from BAM
Plymouth-based BAM’s collection of briefs, boxer shorts and sports trunks are made of exactly what the name suggests: bamboo (as well as being blended with a bit of cotton!). These have rave reviews from sportsmen and outdoorsy types looking for ethical high-performance technical men’s underwear.
Available in a range of patterns and colourways, the breathable bamboo fabric provides supreme softness for your nether regions. The bamboo also wicks any moisture away to keep you dry and prevent chaffing.
Their boxers and pants are ethically produced in Europe and Turkey, with prices starting from £19.
Sign up for the BAM mailing list and get 10% off your first order.
Y.O.U. Underwear
- Price Range: from £17 per pair
- Sizes: XS – 3XL
- Available from Etsy
Y.O.U Underwear is another top choice for men’s boxer shorts and pants. Made from super-soft Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified organic cotton, they’re designed for a snug, supportive fit with thoughtful touches like no internal labels and a no-roll waistband. Each pair is also pre-washed to resist shrinkage, so there are no nasty surprises after the first wash.
Beyond feeling good, each pair does good too. Every purchase funds two donated pairs to Smalls for All, a charity which helps people in need access basic essentials.
In terms of ethics, it’s a similarly positive picture. Y.O.U. plants a tree for every newsletter signup. It’s also PETA-approved vegan, Fairtrade certified, and holds B Corp certification. This is when a business is independently certified for meeting high standards of social, environmental, and ethical responsibility.
All underwear is made in what Y.O.U. say is India’s leading ethical and sustainable manufacturer. It operates under SA8000 social standards – a certification ensuring fair treatment of workers, covering wages, working hours, health, safety, and rights.
Yes Friends
- Price Range: £26 for a pack of three
- Sizes: S – XXL
- Available directly from Yes Friends
Yes Friends is another good choice if you’re looking for comfort without compromise, whilst on a budget. Made from soft organic and Fairtrade cotton, its trunks have been praised by British GQ for their outstanding comfort.
As well as feeling good to wear, Yes Friends has ensured each pair is packed with positive impact. Solar-powered factories reduce carbon emissions, as does its commitment to only using GOTS-certified organic cotton. Its use of Fairtrade cotton also supports farmers with fair pricing and additional funding for community projects.
Yes Friends also goes the extra mile by paying its garment workers a pioneering bonus, to ensure staff are paid a good wage. Customers can even directly tip workers – a first for a UK brand.
Allbirds
- Price Range: £20 – £24
- Size: S – XXL
- Available directly from Allbirds
Allbirds, the ethical shoe retailer, has a small but perfectly formed range of men’s ethical underwear that is made responsibly from sustainable materials.
Its trunks and boxer briefs are made from a blend of sustainable Tencel and mulesing-free merino wool. This makes for a silky-smooth fit that feels barely there. The breathable materials help to wick moisture away, keep you comfortable all day, and help to minimise odour. What’s more, its collection is available in a wide range of colours.
Allbirds says that offering a carefully curated product range fit for all seasons means that it can maintain a small, tight-knit supply chain.
Need to stock up on undies? Allbirds has a great mix-and-match deal, where if you buy three pairs of socks or underwear, you get 20% off.
Nudie
- Price Range: from £30 a pair
- Size: XS – XXL
- Available directly from Nudie
Nudie’s range of men’s underwear – from its loose-fit boxer shorts to its briefs and trunks – are made entirely from soft, certified organic, and Fairtrade cotton.
In plain black, white or grey, these are a great choice if you are looking for basic styles that have been made fairly.
For a clever touch, there’s no annoying care label to itch you. Instead, the care labels are printed on the inside of the underwear. The packaging is also plastic-free – your pants arrive in a recycled cardboard box.
Rapanui
- Price Range: from £10 per pair
- Sizes: S – XL
- Available directly from Rapanui
Made from super-soft organic cotton, all of Rapanui’s boxers are breathable, lightweight, and naturally moisture-wicking, making them a comfortable choice for everyday wear – whether you’re at work or off on an adventure.
Rapanui doesn’t stop at the fabric used. Each pair is made in renewable energy-powered factories, with closed-loop water systems so clean the wastewater is drinkable. Even the packaging is plant-based, not plastic.
Get 10% off your first order when you sign up for the Rapanui mailing list.
Stripe & Stare
- Price Range: from £18 per pair (discounts for multibuys)
- Sizes: S – XL
- Available directly from Stripe & Stare
Finally, if you’re looking for an even softer alternative to cotton, then try Stripe & Stare. Made from Tencel, these boxers are softer than cotton – in fact, they’re scientifically proven to be up to three times softer. It’s also breathable, moisture-wicking, and kind to the planet – sourced responsibly from beechwood trees, and using far less water than conventional cotton.
Designed to sit perfectly without riding up awkwardly, or any visible lines under your clothes, they feel as good as they look.
Every pair is packaged in plastic-free packaging and comes with the added bonus of planting a tree with each order. Stripe & Stare’s supply chain is also powered by renewable energy, it maintains a plastic-free warehouse, and it works to support ethical manufacturing.
Get 10% off your first order when you sign up for The Stipe & Stare mailing list.
More Men’s Sustainable Clothing Resources
I hope you’ve found this guide to ethical men’s underwear helpful! I keep this post updated so do check back later for more suggestions. In the meantime, if you are looking for more men’s sustainable clothing resources, I’ve got you covered:
Main Image used c/o BAM
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This is such a thoughtful and comprehensive guide to ethical men’s underwear! Thank you!
My pleasure Daisy, so glad I could help!
I have gone through many underwear styles such as; boxer briefs, Boxer shorts, and trunks. But, I am thinking to add new boxers in my wardrobe and update it now. Accidentally I came here, but it was worthful.
Thank you for this blog!
Hii!!
This blog has helped me to choose the right underwear. By experiencing these ethical men’s underwear, I have selected the bamboo clothing and Allbirds underwear types.
I would like to share one thing that, by going through this blog. I have never seen these variants of fabric of underwear and got surprised to see these many more options.
Thank you for writing this blog.
Fatface have started selling a lot of organic cotton clothing now. Their boxers are missing from this list!
Keep up the good work ☺
Really helpful blog on ethical shopping. Many thanks!
Thank you for this blog post. I finally got to know about some better underwear brands.
Thanks for this! I wish there were more eco guides and resources exclusively for men. Can you point me to any?
Great article, its proven very helpful in my the search for the perfect set of people, planet, and pocket friendly pants! Ethical Consumer have compiled a very similar list based on their own market research, but they don’t give links to outlets, so not as helpful. Many thanks.
My pleasure Josh, glad you found the post useful and found yourself some ethical pants! :)