Perfectly Imperfect Period Pants With Zero Waste
As an ethical brand, our focus is to keep disposable period products and excess fabric out of landfill. The manufacturing process of making period pants has many layers (as do the period pants) and, sometimes, mistakes do happen, but we always strive to reduce waste and to sell imperfect products where we can.
What is a ‘Factory Imperfect’?
First and foremost, all of our ‘Factory Imperfects’ are in perfect working order. And, put simply, they are imperfect but perfectly functional. Throughout the manufacturing process, we keep check on the overall quality of our period pants. Some pairs may not meet our quality control standards when a shipment arrives at our WUKA warehouse. They may have dye runs or sizing issues, for example.
We don’t feel like WUKA period pants with issues such as these are fit for sale at their full price so we sell them as ‘Factory Imperfects’ at a discounted price. Their faults are clearly stated in the product descriptions so, with this transparency, customers can decide if they want to buy a ‘Factory Imperfect’ pair of period pants.
Anti-Landfill Action
Waste is a problem in the single-use menstrual product market. Since the inception of WUKA, it has been our mission to reduce this waste by encouraging the switch to reusable period products. Moreover, lots of clothing brands dispose of faulty stock (i.e. stitching or sizing issues) but we believe that this imperfect stock, still functional, still has value. We also want to ensure our hard-working factory workers and suppliers are paid for their work. Ultimately, we believe in a fairer way of working.
No Added Chemicals
Producing to a high quality is our aim, and that means no added chemicals when manufacturing our award-winning period pants. We refuse to add any anti-bacterial or silver treatments, and we regularly test for additional chemicals including PFAS. PFAS, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of over 4,700 synthetic chemicals that have been used to make surfaces resistant to stains, water and grease since the 1990s. Unfortunately, they do not break down and thus accumulate over time in human bodies, animals and our environment. See our PFAS certification here.
The Story of Re-Purpose Period Pants
The fabric for our Re-Purpose™ period pants is repurposed, made from second-hand fabric to save it from ending up in landfill. Some of these pairs have landed in our Factory Imperfects collection instead due to excess dye. So, loving your factory imperfect WUKA period pants can, in fact, help reduce waste even more.