A range of underwear supplied by mail order retailer Greenfibres has become the first in the UK to be given the stamp of organic approval by the Soil Association.

Other Greenfibres products to be Soil Association certified for the first time include a range of organic cotton towels and a selection of socks.

Gabriela Lana, co-director of Greenfibres, said, "The textiles industry causes a great deal of pollution and has rather dubious working practices. Organic clothing is just one more step towards living an ethical and eco-friendly life."

For a garment to be labelled organic by the Soil Association, raw materials must contain at least 95% organic materials – excluding accessories such as buttons and zips. The remaining 5% can be made up of a limited range of non-organic fibres if insufficient organic material is available.