Wednesday 17 July 2019

Denim companies buckle up for sustainable denim with new guidelines

Denim companies buckle up for sustainable denim with new guidelines

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has published new guidelines dictating how fashion brands and manufacturers should manufacture jeans in a cleaner way.

The set of rules aims to ensure jeans last longer, can easily be recycled and are made in a way that is better for the environment and the people who produce them.

The Jeans Redesign Guidelines were developed with help from more than 40 businesses, individuals and organisations including H&M and Tommy Hilfiger.

The guidelines set out that jeans should withstand a minimum of 30 home washes, include clear labels for care and be produced using cellulose fibres sourced from "regenerative, organic or transitional farming methods".

They stress the clothing should be free of hazardous chemicals and conventional electroplating and not be stone finished or sandblasted - these processes are often environmentally intensive.

The organisation says for the sake of easy recyclability, metal rivets should be designed out and any additional material added to the jeans should be easy to disassemble.

Francois Souchet, Project Manager of Make Fashion Circular, said: "The way we produce jeans is causing huge problems with waste and pollution but it doesn’t have to be this way.

"By working together we can create jeans that last longer, that can be remade into new jeans at the end of their use and are made in ways which are better for the environment and the people that make them. This is just the start. Over time we will continue to drive momentum towards a thriving fashion industry, based on the principles of a circular economy."

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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