Why people in Nantes are being asked to ‘plant their underwear’
A total of 29 pairs of cotton underwear will be buried across 19 different sites
The town hall aims to help people understand the importance of soil biodiversity
Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock and NewFabrika/Shutterstock
People in Nantes are being invited to plant their underwear in the soil as part of a biodiversity awareness campaign, designed to show how rich and active the ground really is.
The initiative, called Plante ton slip, forms part of the city’s Biodivers’été 2026 programme, according to a press release sent to The Connexion by the Nantes’ town hall. The method is simple: cotton underwear is buried in the ground and left there for several weeks.
When it is dug up later, the condition of the fabric reveals how active the soil is. If the underwear has broken down significantly, it suggests the soil is rich in micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi. If it remains mostly intact, the soil is less biologically active.
The idea was first developed in Canada in 2016 and later promoted in France by the Agence de la transition écologique in 2020.
This year, a total of 29 pairs of cotton underwear will be buried across 19 different sites in Nantes, including community gardens and shared green spaces, with the involvement of local groups.
The project officially began on 22 April at the Parc potager de la Crapaudine, where the first samples were planted in different types of plots. These will be dug up on 24 June.
Then, the final stage will take place in September during the Folie des Plantes. All the underwear used in the project will be displayed at the Parc du Grand-Blottereau, allowing the public to compare results and learn more about soil health.
Through this initiative, the city aims to help people understand the importance of soil biodiversity, as healthy soil is essential for growing food and maintaining ecosystems, yet it is often overlooked.
