Redesigning the denim industry
We take a closer look in to the sustainability of denim and The Ellen MacArthur Foundations bid to help the environment.
Words by Ella Doyle
Conversations in sustainability involving fashion are on going. With recent aims of developing products to become environmentally friendly and recyclable, designers have been encouraged to change the way they create denim products, jeans in particular. Jeans are commonly known as one of the worst fashion products in terms of their environmental impact. This is due to the hazardous chemicals needed to create current pattern trends and the amount of water used in the production process. Water is needed to grow the cotton and is used in the repeated wash cycles the denim is put through. Before the last century denim products were seen to not be harmful to the environment, it was durable and made to last. As decades have passed creating jeans has become a lot more complex with materials starting to become less natural and pure.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation have published a new set of guidelines titled “The Jeans Redesign” to transform the way leading fashion brands and manufacturers produce denim. The guidelines will tackle waste, pollution and the use of harmful practices. Minimum requirements have been put in place on garments durability, recyclability and traceability and they are hoping to eventually implement a circular manufacturing practice. Bringing over 40 denim experts together “The Jeans Redesign” has produced many conversations with multiple already confirmed participants including popular fashion brands, Tommy Hilfiger, GAP and H&M.
