DENIM REPORTExploring the opportunities for a more

sustainable denim industry

In association with SOURCE Founding Partner, Barkha’s Custom Sourcing

SUSTAINABLE SOURCING SERIES // PART I // FABRICS & FIBRES 2016-17

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Denim production is a powerhouse in apparel.

Around 1.2 billion pairs of jeans are produced each year

and the global market size is $56.2 billion.1

Made from cotton dyed with natural indigo, denim was first worn several centuries ago

by Genovese dockers who valued its durability. Today’s jeans stem from 1850 when Levi Strauss used denim to make

strong work trousers for Californian miners.

Many consumers still value denim’s reputation for durability. Now they’re also

starting to ask how sustainable their jeans are. This report explores exciting new ways

of answering those growing demands.

SUSTAINABLE SOURCING SERIES // PART I // FABRICS & FIBRES 2016-17

A HIGH COST //

In terms of environmental and human costs, denim is possibly one of the worst offenders in the fashion industry.

Over its lifetime, a pair of jeans consumes on average 10,850 litres of water2 and causes 32.5kg of CO2 emissions3 – from growing the cotton, to processing, dyeing, finishing, shipping and once bought, washing.

The Made-By Environmental Benchmark for Fibres, used by brands like G-Star and H&M, classes conventional cotton among the least sustainable fibres. Recycled and organic cottons rank far higher.4

Toxic run-off from denim dyeing processes is polluting waterways. Xintang, known as China’s ‘Jean Town’, produces 260 million pairs a year. Its river is black and foamy, polluted with heavy chemicals, similarly to several other Chinese rivers.5

-Images from Greenpeace

Top: Wastewater discharge from a denim washing factory in Xintang, Guangdong province.Bottom: Workers at a jeans factory must search through wastewater every morning to scoop out the stones, which are washed with the fabric in industrial washing machines to make stonewash denim.

BANNING SANDBLASTING //

Among the most harmful processes in denim production is sandblasting.

Used for distressed-look denim, sandblasting can be deadly for the workers involved. Abrasive sand, containing tiny silica crystals, is shot under high pressure at the denim. Without full protective equipment, proper ventilation and rest-breaks, sandblasting workers risk developing acute silicosis – a lung disease that is fatal unless treated early.

An x-ray of a patient with lung silicosis as the result of sandblasting.6

HOW FAR GONE?

Turkey banned sandblasting in 2009 after high numbers of textile workers developed silicosis. Many denim brands like Levi’s, H&M, Armani and Versace announced bans the following year. But campaigners say sandblasting still continues due to the lack of transparency surrounding subcontractors used in denim’s complex supply chain.7

THE SUSTAINABLE DENIM TREND //

More sustainable jeans means increased costs. But jeans could be ideally placed to drive this change.

SMARTER DENIM

Rimaks is one of Turkey’s largest denim suppliers. Their Eco-smart DNM® is made from recycled or better cotton. Rimaks say their production facilities use less water and fewer chemicals, while wastewater is treated to be environmentally safe.9

BLUE GOING GREEN

Several textile suppliers and brands such as H&M’s conscious collection already reflect this trend by sourcing their denim from organic, recycled or Better Cotton Initiative cotton.

PERFECT PRICE POINT

Consumers seem willing to pay more for high-quality jeans unlike other items of apparel. Latest unit price growth data for jeans from Euromonitor International bears this out, particularly for premium and super-premium brands.8

DENIM INNOVATION //

Founded in 1991, SOURCE member Kassim produces high-quality denim using sustainable processes throughout – from organic cotton and natural indigo dyes to finishing with eco-friendly ozone washes and sewing threads.

Product ranges from this Pakistan-based denim artisan include Core, stretch denim Flexure, Jacquard, Selvedge and Black Myth.

CONTROL LIFE WITH YOUR JEANS

Kassim recently showcased in Paris a digitally ‘connected denim’ created in collaboration with Sweden’s Neue Labs.11

SOLUTIONS // SOURCING

Denim brands big and small are improving their cotton sourcing. For example,

Levi Strauss & Company found that nearly 70 per cent of the water used to make 501 jeans derived from cotton growing. In 2015, LS&Co sourced 12 per cent of their cotton through the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), which they co-founded. Their 2020 goal is to source 100 per cent from BCI or recycled cotton – and they’re urging others to do the same.12

Luxury group Kering has been making Volcom V.Cological Jeans since 2012 wholly from organic cotton, and using ozone bleaching and laser finishing.13

Smaller-scale Dutch jean retailers Kuyichi have used recycled cotton and polyester since 2001, with labels made of Jacron (recycled paper).14

SOLUTIONS // BLENDING

With stretch and performance obsessing denim producers, perhaps better fibre blends are the way forward.

SWAPPING HAZARDOUS PROCESSES FOR PRINTING TECHNOLOGY

Lenzing also unveiled the digitally printed jean. The AG-branded jean, sold in the US and Japan, is printed onto a blend of cotton and Modal®, and has no studs, labels or pockets. Lenzing say there is no bleaching, washing or dyeing – it’s all in the software.17

COTTONLESS DENIM GOING MAINSTREAM

Denim manufacturer ISKO™ and cellulosic fibre producer Lenzing have made the first cotton-less denim using Lenzing’s Tencel® and Modal®. The result is a vintage-look denim collection combined with ISKO™’s Supercharged power stretch.15

Patagonia has recently announced it will use Lenzing’s new Tencel® fibre – wood pulp blended with pulp from recycled pre-consumer cotton waste.16

SOLUTIONS // DYEING AND FINISHING

Demand for distressed, vintage and worn-out denim shows no signs of abating. Cue the need for innovative treatments, washes and finishes that don’t harm textile workers or the environment.

PORTUGUESE PIONEERING

Pizarro laundries in Portugal believe they have created the world’s first safe, affordable alternative to sandblasting. Ecoblast uses an abrasive with very low silica content in premises and conditions specifically designed for workers’ safety.18

IMPROVING THE INDIGO IMPACT

Denim’s colour now usually comes from synthetic indigo requiring huge production lines. Archroma Advanced Denim – used by brands like Patagonia – is a more sustainable dyeing process using sulphur dyestuffs. Its shorter production line uses 84 per cent less water, 30 per cent less energy and produces less cotton waste and no wastewater, compared to conventional systems.19

SOLUTIONS // RECYCLING

Denim producers are increasing sustainability by recycling both pre- and post-consumer textile waste.

R3 DENIM - DENIM NORTH AMERICA (DNA)

R3 Denim by Denim North America (DNA) contains ECO2cotton, derived mainly from cutting waste from US, Mexican and Central American cotton knit plants. DNA is showing R3 Denim to brands. Its concept jeans are finished using waterless resin or ozone processes, and have recycled content equal to two cotton t-shirts.20

BLUE JEANS GO GREEN

Used denim is being recycled through campaigns like Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green in the US, endorsed by global fashion brand Guess. The campaign turns old denim into insulation, some of which goes to communities in need.21

SOURCE IT NOW // SUSTAINABLE DENIM

BARKHA’S CUSTOM SOURCING

Barkha’s Custom Sourcing is an independent eco-textile development and sourcing consulting firm based in the US. With the support of their team in India, Barkha’s specialises in sourcing and custom development of organic and sustainable textiles and products from start to finish.

www.barkhascustomsourcing.com

FOUNDING PARTNERS

FAIRTRADE

Fairtrade is a global movement which supports cotton farmers, often the forgotten link in the cotton supply chain, to gain improved terms of trade and fair prices for their cotton crop, enabling them to earn a more stable income and take more control of their lives and communities.

www.fairtrade.org.uk // www.fairtrade.ca // www.fairtrade.com.au

GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD (GOTS)

The Global Organic Textile Standard is the comprehensive ecological and social standard for the entire textile supply chain based on the use of certi ed organic bres. All stages are traceable to the nal consumer: for fashion, apparel, work, home and personal care products.

www.global-standard.org

SOURCE IT NOW // SUSTAINABLE DENIM

THE SUSTAINABLE ANGLE are leaders in sourcing innovative sustainable fabrics. Attend their annual Future Fabrics Expo either in person or virtually.

ECOLOGICAL TEXTILES offer a wide range of sustainable fabrics including denim in their online webshop.

KASSIM DENIM, based in Pakistan, are leaders in sustainable denim innovation.

OFFSET WAREHOUSE Huge online selection of eco textiles and haberdashery.

LEBENSKLEIDUNG - specialists in GOTS-certified organic fabrics.

LE SOUK - A global materials marketplace.

SOURCE MEMBERS

OTHER

REFERENCES //

1 Denim jeans industry statistics (2016) Statisticbrain.com, www.statisticbrain.com/denim-jeans-industry-statistics/

2 UNESCO-IHE (2005) The water footprint of cotton consumption. Table 4.4., http://waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Report18.pdf

3 Coe, N. (2011) ‘Raw denim – the environmental and green choice’, 18 May, https://www.heddels.com/2011/05/raw-denim-the-environmental-green-choice/

4 http://www.made-by.org/consultancy/tools/environmental/

5 Greenpeace report cited on NTDTV clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S03LrNlnUc

6 NZMJ 9 May 2008, Vol 121 No 1273; ISSN 1175 8716 Page 69 URL: http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/121-1273/3032/

7 Sources on sandblasting: Tellason (2015) Why banning sandblasting is not solving anything, 29 March, www.tellason.com/the-journal/why-banning-sandblasting-is-not-solving-anything/; Fair Trade Center (2010) Fashion victims – a report on sandblasted denim, https://cleanclothes.org/resources/national-cccs/fashion-victims-a-report-on-sandblasted-denim

8 Euromonitor International (2016) ‘Blue Jeans Go Green: Is ethical production a good fit for the denim industry?’, blog, 13 October, http://blog.euromonitor.com/2016/10/blue-jeans-go-green-ethical-production-good-fit-denim-industry.html

9 Rimaks denim: http://www.rimaks.com/eco-smartDNM.asp

10 Kassim denim website: http://kassimdenim.com/fabric/

11 Fashnerd.com (2016) ‘Kassim Denim x Neue Labs: The world’s first connected jeans’, 4 Nov, http://fashnerd.com/2016/11/kassim-denim-neuelabs-connected-jeans/

12 LS&Co website: http://levistrauss.com/sustainability/planet/water/

13 Kering group website: www.kering.com/en/sustainability/achievements/volcom_vco-logical_series_jeans

14 Kuyichi jeans: https://www.kuyichi.com/nl/about-us/

15 Carved in blue website (2016) ‘ISKO launches COTTONIZED collection with Tencel’, 17 November, www.carvedinblue.lenzing-fibers.com/1652-2/

16 Carved in blue website (2016) ‘Patagonia picks up Tencel made from cotton fabric waste’, 8 October, www.carvedinblue.lenzing-fibers.com/patagonia-picks-tencel-made-cotton-waste/

17 just-style website (2015) ‘Denim days: jeans innovation bursting at the seams’, 23 April, www.just-style.com/analysis/jeans-innovation-bursting-at-the-seams_id124969.aspx

18 Pizarro S.A. website: www.pizarro.pt/index.php?id=6; denim and jeans (2015) ‘Ecoblast – world’s first substitute of sandblasting’, 18 June, www.denimsandjeans.com/denim/manufacturing-process/ecoblast-worlds-first-substitute-of-sandblasting/11550

19 Archroma website: http://textiles.archroma.com/advanced-denim/; Patagonia website: www.patagonia.com/denim.html

20 Textile World (2016) ‘Sustainable denim, Georgia-style’, 27 Sept, www.textileworld.com/textile-world/quality-fabric-of-the-month/2016/09/sustainable-denim-georgia-style/

21 Blue Jeans Go Green website: http://bluejeansgogreen.org/About-Us/

The Ethical Fashion SOURCE is Mysource Ltd’s online platform which supports fashion professionals to build successful, sustainable businesses.

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