How to Choose (slightly) Greener Hosiery
Most hosiery today gets made with synthetic fibres like nylon, a kind of plastic spun into thread. Nylon is tough, stretches well, but sticks around just about forever once it ends up in the trash. Greener options use different fibres, focus on durability, or try to cut down on plastic waste.
Older women in particular tend to wear tights and stockings, sold in their millions. Pop socks are also worn by sailors and majorettes! Created over 5000 years ago as ‘knitted socks’ to keep legs warm, silk stockings were even worn by Queen Elizabeth I, back in the late 1500s.
It was in the 1940s that stockings became popular, with women queuing for hours to get their hands on a pair, during rationing. Some women who could not find them, would draw a black line on the back of their legs, to make it look as though they were wearing them!
Today around 8 billions pairs of tights are sold each year. But many ladder after a few uses, and this creates a huge amount of plastic (most tights and stockings are made from nylon) that is binned.
Silk stockings are not great either, as silk is made by boiling silkworms (even ‘peace silk’ often leaves tired silkworms on the floor after chewing their way out of cocoons, with many dying of starvation).
Denier and Its Role in Sustainability
Denier is a word you see on almost every package of tights, but it’s not always clear what it means. Denier measures the thickness of the thread used in the fabric. The lower the number, the finer and sheerer the stocking. A higher number means the tights are thicker and usually more durable.
- Low-denier hosiery (5 to 30): These are lightweight and sheer. They look great but tear easily, which means you’ll likely throw them out and replace them sooner. Every rip sends another piece of plastic-based fabric to the landfill.
- High-denier hosiery (40 and above): These are thicker and more resistant to snags. They might not have the same delicate look, but you’ll get far more wears before they give out.
If you want greener stockings, choose a denier that matches how often you’ll wear them and how careful you are. A pair that lasts twice as long leads to less waste, even if it’s a bit thicker than you originally planned. Buying tights that don’t ladder after one night can be your simplest planet-friendly move.
Issues with Conventional Fabrics: Nylon and Silk
Nylon:
Nylon is the champion of modern hosiery. It’s stretchy, smooth, and cheap to make. The catch? It’s not biodegradable, made from oil and hard to recycle.
Silk:
Silk stockings used to be the gold standard. They feel soft, regulate temperature, and have that old Hollywood shine. But it’s expensive and delicate, needs careful washing, as it made by boiling silkworms.
Recycled Yarns:
Some brands now use recycled nylon or polyester made from old fishing nets or bottles. This cuts down new plastic production and makes smart use of waste. But again it’s still plastic, so releases microplastics in machines.
Modal and Other Biodegradable Yarns:
Modal is an eco-friendlier option made from beech tree pulp. Brands sometimes blend this with other plant fibre or even newer options like biodegradable polyamide. But most still blend them with nylon. they do break down faster in landfills, but are usually mixed with synthetic fabrics.
The Most Sustainable Hosiery Brands
As you won’t find 100% cotton tights or stockings, launder them in a microfibre filter, to stop synthetic fibres breaking off in the washing machine, and going out to sea.
Hēdoïne offers (partly) biodegradable tights, which it says will break down in around 5 years. These cost a little more, but are designed not to ladder so easily. Made in Italy, they may tear with ‘dog handshakes!
But what’s great about this company is that you can send (any brand) of old tights to them for recycling, to receive £10 credit on your next pair.
EcoOutfitters (which makes Teflon-free organic school uniforms) offers knitted tights for children (or small people!) These are soft with flat seams, so good for people with eczema. Sold in several colours (black, white, brown, grey, navy and bottle green).
How to Make Hosiery Last Longer
- Remove jewellery before putting tights on.
- Keep nails smooth, to avoid snags.
- Don’t ‘pull on’ tights (like socks). Just roll up moisturised legs.
- If wearing shoes with zips, wear socks on top of your tights.
- Wash hosiery by hand (and not alongside other clothes, or zips).
- Do not use fabric conditioner (nor tumble dry).
After washing, pre-stretch your hosiery: Place one hand on the foot, and the other on the top. Then gently pull. For snags, gently pull on both sides to make it disappear (or reduce).
Do You Always Need Support Hosiery?
GPs sometimes prescribe support stockings (but most people don’t need them, and some people say with artery disease should not wear them).
Support stockings work by ‘squeezing your legs’ slightly, to encourage good blood flow to the heart. But in most cases, you can do this naturally:
- Regularly raise legs above your heart. This could be as simple as placing legs on a pouffe (higher than the sofa) while watching TV.
- Walking causes calf muscles, to squeeze blood to your heart. Regular exercise also reduces weight, which is good for circulation.
- Wear comfortable (vegan) shoes that exercise your calf muscles. Ahinsa Shoes (above) are super-comfy, made by physiotherapists.
- Drink water, eat well, don’t smoke and avoid alcohol.
- A handful of Epsom salts in the bath (sold in indie chemists) can help achy legs. Not for inflamed/infected skin, open wounds or burns. Check with GP for medical contraindications.
- People who stand all day (like hairdressers), fly regularly or are confined to bed/wheelchairs benefit from foot/leg exercises to get blood pumping from the legs to the heart. Talk to your GP if if you see brown areas (or ulcers) on your feet or legs.
