High impact on style, low impact on the planet. The sustainable denim brands that are cleaning up how jeans are made
Today is Denim Day Celebrated every year on the last Wednesday of April, Denim Day started as a campaign against sexual assault. So today of all day's, wear your jeans with a purpose. And while we are doing it let's rock a sustainable pair. Jeans are one of the least eco-friendly clothing items. They are made from cotton—lots of it—and most cotton is grown with harmful fertilizers and pesticides and requires huge amounts of water to produce. It takes roughly 396 gallons of water to make a single pair of jeans, that's approximately 1,500 litters. We know that the data won't stop any of us from buying jeans, but, we do hope this information will help you to become more responsible consumers. we can all do our part by shopping brands that value sustainability in their production method because they implement less wasteful manufacturing techniques and more effective recycling programs. Although one hundred percent sustainable pair of jeans doesn't exist yet, what we found is that the most eco-friendly way to find jeans is shopping second-hand. Here are our pics of our favorite denim brands that will make you feel better about buying jeans. invest in the pairs you really love, wear them often, and take pride in the rips, the frayed edges, and the faded washes.
One brand's trash is another’s treasure. The brand began upcycling vintage Levi's in 2014 and has since turned more than 225,850 landfill-bound garments into upcycled pieces Including shipping orders in reusable and returnable packaging.
Some of Citizens’ most popular styles now come in 100% organic cotton and use water-saving, energy-reducing technology. Citizens of Humanity also owns two other denim labels, Goldsign and AGOLDE, which are making similar strides in organic fabrications, laser treatments, and ozone washes, which reduce energy and water use.
The brand reduced the amount of water used per pair of jeans to 10 gallons from 1,500; 98% of the water that goes into its denim is treated and recycled for additional use. For an even closer look at how the denim gets made, The brand has a virtual factory tour where you can take an even closer look at how the denim gets made.
Did you know those stretch jeans are made of plastic? The brand's new “plastic-free skinny jean” feels as stretchy and supportive as any you’ve worn, but the denim is woven with ultra-fine strands of rubber, not plastic. If you aren’t into stretch, the brand’s 100% cotton styles are also made to the highest sustainable standards with organic materials, natural dyes, less water, and less energy.
Mother's 60% Mother collection incorporates upcycled materials from its own deadstock collection and discarded vintage. The results are one-of-a-kind pieces that are also responsibly-minded. The brand is also donating $50,000 to the Sierra Club to protect U.S. lands and water supplies.