Ethical underwear manufacturer Pants to Poverty has recognised the need for packaging to sell its products and adopted a recycled Fairtrade cotton pack designed by product and graphic design firm Studio 91.

Pants to Poverty founder Ben Ramsden said the firm had "always rejected packaging for being wasteful, but consumers demanded it to engage with the product and find out more about the brand".
He added that retailers had explained how the firm could double sales if the product was packaged

"The packaging reflects our ethical values and is not wasteful at all – it uses a waste product and the premium goes back to the farmers. It’s very soft and silky, just like our pants," said Ramsden.

An existing client referred Studio 91 to Pants to Poverty and the two have been working together since 2008 on promotional material.

The designers were given a "relatively open brief" after Pants to Poverty was having trouble at the point of sale and its initial idea for no packaging was impractical.

Studio 91 director Sam Hextall said the firm wanted to avoid using clear plastic so included a cut-out window on the front of the packaging, which also allows the customer to see and feel the product.

"With variations in colour and waistbands, the cut-out feature allows the customer to see the actual product," he said

The pack is manufactured by Esteam, which reuses 30-35% of cut-offs of cotton in clothes production. The waste cotton is broken down and taken through the common paper-making process.

Studio 91 is currently designing a new website for Pants to Poverty and a new children's range is also being developed. These will both be launched next year.

Established in 2005 as part of the Make Poverty History campaign, Pants to Poverty sells Fairtrade organic underwear through independent shops and online retailers to 22 countries. It supports 7,000 farmers in India.