The Best Sustainable Denim Labels for Guilt-Free Style
Full Story available on BetterGoods.com
An American icon, jeans are the closet staple we all find ourselves reaching for, no matter our backgrounds. From a beloved pair of worn-in Levi’s to high-end styles from designers such as Prada and Louis Vuitton, jeans are woven into the fabric of style.
However, denim is also one of the least sustainable products on the market today, with ethical and ecological concerns throughout the entire process. Beginning with cotton production to the finishing touches, denim can be a dirty business.
In that case, can denim ever be sustainable? With exciting research and new technologies, innovative denim brands are taking on the challenge of making denim safe for their customers and the environment.
As industry leaders work to change a notoriously destructive business, incorporating sustainable materials such as Tencel and REFIBRA and reducing water usage are top components of sustainable denim brands. Through our careful vetting process, we have rounded up some of the best sustainable denim brands making their mark in the industry so you can find your next beloved pair without guilt.
Why Traditional Denim Manufacturing is Unsustainable
Denim is primarily made from cotton—a renewable material with several advantages in comfort, breathability, and versatility. As a natural fiber, cotton is biodegradable and can be grown worldwide, making it a widely available resource for denim production.
However, it is essential to consider the environmental impacts associated with conventional cotton farming, such as water consumption, pesticide use, and land degradation.
Typically produced in water-scarce areas such as China, India, and Pakistan, the cultivation of cotton results in barren production areas and deprives local residents of resources due to the high water demand needed to sustain its production.
Creating a single pair of jeans could take up to 2,500 gallons of water with rewashing, a typical step in the process after the jeans have been cut and finished.
The Dark Truth: Child Labor in Cotton Harvesting
The production of denim—which relies heavily on cotton—unfortunately involves the widespread use of child labor in some regions. In these areas, children as young as six are forced to work in cotton fields, picking the crop by hand. This exposes them to dangerous working conditions and robs them of their right to education, safety, and a nurturing childhood.
Health dangers: Kids who toil away in cotton fields face multiple health risks. They are exposed to toxic pesticides and work long hours in harsh weather, which can lead to immediate and long-term health problems like respiratory issues, skin irritations, and chronic illnesses.
Missing out on education: When children are made to work in cotton harvesting, they often miss out on essential years of schooling. This lack of education narrows their future prospects and keeps them trapped in a cycle of poverty and exploitation.
Exploitation: Child laborers in the cotton industry are frequently taken advantage of, with low wages, grueling work hours, and substandard living conditions. They may also endure physical, emotional, and psychological abuse from those who employ them, making their situation even more difficult.
Legal and ethical concerns: Employing children in cotton harvesting not only breaches international labor laws and human rights agreements but it also raises serious ethical questions. Both brands and consumers need to ensure that the products they buy don’t contribute to child exploitation in the supply chain.
Ethical denim brands are committed to sourcing their cotton from suppliers that adhere to strict labor standards, ensuring that child labor and exploitation are not part of their production process. By purchasing from these responsible companies, consumers can encourage more brands to adopt ethical practices and help eradicate child labor from the denim industry.
How Pesticides & Insecticides are Poisoning Our Cotton Industry
According to the Environmental Justice Foundation, cotton uses 6% of the world’s pesticides and 16% of insecticides, making it one of the world’s dirtiest crops.
These pesticides also contribute to water pollution in local production areas. In denim manufacturing capitals of the world such as Xintang and Guaro, Greenpeace found five heavy metals in the waterways in 17 out of 21 samples where wastewater from denim production is typically deposited.
This water pollution heavily affects the local residents, particularly with reproductive and fertility problems. Additionally, in the local river, the Xiao Xi, no living fish are in the water due to toxicity.
These pesticides and insecticides don’t just affect the ground where they are used but also the workers spraying these toxic chemicals. Pesticide poisoning is extremely prevalent for cotton farmers with an average of two in five workers reporting pesticide poisoning in 2021 with symptoms ranging from vomiting to seizures and potentially more life-threatening symptoms such as fluid in the lungs.
Indigo and Beyond: Synthetic Dyes in Traditional Denim
In conventional denim production, synthetic dyes play a starring role, infusing our beloved jeans with a wide range of colors and shades. While these dyes have revolutionized the denim industry by offering consistent and vibrant hues, they also come with a hidden cost: their impact on the environment and human health.
Synthetic dyes are typically derived from petroleum-based chemicals, which undergo a series of chemical reactions to produce the desired color. While these dyes offer a high degree of color control, the process generates hazardous byproducts, some of which can harm the environment and human health.
These synthetic indigo dyes are extremely polluting and incorporate toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde in the synthesizing and dying processes. According to the University of Georgia, the denim industry uses over 45,000 tons of synthetic indigo a year, as well as 84,000 tons of sodium hydrosulfite and 53,000 tons of lye.
Microfiber Washoff Ends Up In Our Water Supply
With the rise of skin-tight and stretch jeans, microfibers are becoming an increasingly prevalent problem as polyester and denim fibers are shed during the wash cycle of jeans. According to new research, an unsettling amount of 56,000 microfibers are shed on average per wash of a single pair of jeans.
These microfibers are found in soils, oceans, and even the air in countries worldwide. Researchers from the University of Toronto were shocked to find blue jean microfibers in places as remote as the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
To prevent this influx of microfibers into the environment, scientists are urging the general public to limit the frequent washing of jeans.
The Process of Making Sustainable Denim
As the dangers of the traditional denim industry come to light, changemakers and brands alike are taking dramatic steps to transform this dirty industry into a circular and sustainable business model. Innovation and tradition converge as brands take a step back from using modern synthetic dyes in favor of the more traditional natural plant dyes that, while more expensive than synthetic dyes, have a dramatically smaller cost to the environment.
Materials such as organic cotton and Tencel Lyocell have redefined jean material with sustainable substitutions as opposed to pesticide-heavy cotton. Made of wood pulp from eucalyptus trees, Tencel’s cellulosic fibers not only make the jeans stronger and more durable but also use a fifth of the land and 20 times less water compared to traditional cotton.
To reduce toxic waste during the washing process, eco-friendly processes such as neutral enzymes, ozone washes, and nanobubbles are used in place of harsh chemicals. Previous intensive and polluting methods of pumice stones and stone washes are being replaced with laser finishes and faux stones to create the vintage effects that shoppers love such as fading and whiskering.
Combining ever-changing technology with a desire to do better, sustainable denim brands are transforming the way we see our favorite pair of jeans. Through eco-friendly materials and processes, their jeans are not only healthier for the wearers and the environment but also are becoming fully circular with recycling programs in place.
How to Care For Your Sustainable Denim
There is nothing quite like finding a favorite pair of jeans, those ones your hand constantly gravitates towards. That worn-in, perfect fit is just enough to boost your confidence as you step out the door, ready to tackle the day (or night).
Nevertheless, there is a proper way to take care of your favorite pair so you may wear them for years. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t typically have to wash jeans as often as you may think.
Built to be durable and hardy, jeans can be worn multiple times without needing to be tossed in the washer and dryer. By minimizing frequent washing, jeans last longer and are less likely to shrink.
When things get dirty, we recommend spot-treating specific areas of concern rather than a full wash process. If you need to wash your favorite pair fully, turn the jeans inside out and use cold water to minimize fading and wear.
Always hang or lay flat to dry for drying to reduce the risk of the fibers shrinking in the hot machine dryer.
How We Picked The Best Sustainable Brands
As more brands adopt sustainability into their ethos, it can be challenging to differentiate between those making a positive impact and those prioritizing greenwashing over genuine sustainability efforts.
The brands below integrate ecological and ethical practices into each aspect of their design and manufacturing while not compromising style or comfort.
With jeans built to last for decades, these classic styles fuse vintage versatility with modern silhouettes that eschew fleeting trends or fads. Verified by third-party audits, these brands meet the highest standards of environmental responsibility, with customer education and transparency a foundation of their labels.
Boyish Jeans
Established in 2018, Boyish Jeans is a Los Angeles-based women’s sustainable denim brand. Inspired by men’s fabrics and silhouettes but with mindful tailoring designed for women’s bodies, this brand is evocative of your favorite vintage jeans.
Boyish thoughtfully integrates sustainability and ethics into every aspect of the business to ensure minimal environmental impact. Using one-third of the amount of water typically needed to produce a pair of jeans, Boyish also tackles the imposing problem of water pollution by recycling water to keep toxic chemicals out of the local waterways.
Ensuring customer safety is a top priority as they are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 approved, use natural dyes instead of synthetic dyes, and opt for reduced indigo from Dystar with approximately 80 percent fewer sulfates.
Their textiles consist of sustainable materials such as certified organic cotton, Tencel Lyocell, and recycled fabrics while also replacing traditional plastic fibers with exciting REFIBRA technology.
Their collection includes a range of pants in various silhouettes and denim shorts, skirts, dresses, and jackets. With a price range of $178-$208, Boyish is moderately priced, and they are also offering some of their jeans at a lower price point through their online consignment shop.
A haven for denim lovers on a budget, customers are invited to purchase pre-worn Boyish items at reduced prices and sell their used pieces in exchange for money or brand credit for new purchases.
Triarchy Jeans
Founded by three siblings, Triarchy Denim prides itself on combining eco-responsibility with a family-rooted love of denim, offering women’s styles made of organic denim and Tencel.
Cut and sewn at STROM, this Istanbul-based manufacturer uses a patented Blue Drop sustainable production solution for their clients that requires less water and energy to create. Along with their core collection, Triarchy Denim offers seasonal fashion-forward designs for the sustainable shopper who wants their jeans to have a bit of edge.
ELV Denim
East London Vintage, otherwise known as ELV Denim, creatively upcycles unwanted jeans destined for the landfill and creates new pieces for clientele in their London studio. In an effort to keep carbon emissions low, they source discarded jeans from vintage warehouses in the UK and use scraps of leather remnants from Tura London for their leather labels.
They also offer custom services for clients, such as made-to-order options (for out-of-stock styles), made-to-measure jeans, and bespoke services that include designing jeans in a rare colorway or reinventing a pair you already own. With upcycling a core ethos of their brand, they donate any unused scraps of denim to denim artist Ian Berry and local schools and universities to use in their textile classes.
Warp + Weft
With a goal of making sustainably-minded denim accessible for all, Warp + Weft’s size-inclusive and affordable denim styles are a great option for those looking for sustainable jeans on a budget.
With styles for men and women, including maternity styles, Warp + Weft’s impressive size range tackles the ever-present problem of sustainability and inclusivity with flattering pieces that can be worn confidently.
ÉTICA Denim
Spanish for “Ethical”, Etica Jeans is rooted in supporting the local and global community at large with their sustainable denim offerings. Made in a family-owned and operated factory and wash house in Puebla, Mexico, ÉTICA is committed to supporting the workers who make their brand possible with living wages, health benefits, and free meals.
With certifications including the Worldwide Responsible Apparel Coalition and the Re/Make Seal of Approval, ÉTICA makes sustainable denim and constantly looks for ways to support the local community where their jeans are made.
Their on-site water purification system feeds local farmland and in a mission to reduce waste, they compress used wash stones into bricks donated to build low-income housing in the area.
Full Story available on BetterGoods.com