Change the world – with your underwear…

In Japan, people use disposable chopsticks made of wood – some 25 billion sets are used each year.

They are usually manufactured in China, and require around 25 million trees to be chopped down. Because of the environmental impact of this and the rapid disappearance of forests, it has been reported in Japan that China intends to limit or ban the export of disposable chopsticks.

If the imports can’t be obtained from another country there’ll need to be a shift in thinking. And there is one obvious answer: reusable chopsticks made of plastic rather than disposable chopsticks made of wood.

To highlight the issue, lingerie designers Triumph International, have launched a ‘Chopsticks Bra’. The cups are made of two bowls — one for rice and the other for miso soup – and a set of reusable chopsticks is stored in the cleavage. More from ITN:

That’s just the beginning – plenty of activists are doing equally up-front things with clothing. How about panties with a socket to store a mobile phone – or perhaps more usefully, with space for condoms?

If you like the idea of making a difference with something as simple as your underwear there’s no shortage of options, and here are a few places to start:

Pants to Poverty

Pants to Poverty takes forward the ideas of the Make Poverty History campaign by selling fairly traded and organic underwear branded with anti-poverty messages – and uses slice of the income to make the world a better place.

Green Knickers

Green Knickers are made from ethical fabrics (kind silk, organic cotton, hemp-cotton mixes) and boast save the world messages and delightful designs.

Toms Shoes

Young designer Blake Mycoskie has created a range of espadrilles hoes based on a traditional Argentinian design, and for each pair you buy, he donates a pair to a shoeless Argentinian. The two pairs (but only one for you) cost $48. There is a new range for children (Tiny Toms) and shoes which you can decorate yourself — along with instructions for organising shoe decoration parties.