A few days ago I wrote a post on how to build a more ethical closet that received amazing feedback (thank you!) I’m so happy that we can talk also about less frivolous matters that are concerned with fashion. So I thought that another interesting topic would be DENIM. Our beloved jeans. What’s behind their production, how can we choose better when we buy a pair?

Denim is one of most important fabrics of the 21st century. Gestalten has released “Blue Blooded“, a must-have title from Denimhunters editor in chief Thomas Stege Bojer and British journalist Josh Sims. Blue Blooded offers a fresh and contemporary look at the current denim landscape, in particular the rise of heritage denim, which has transformed the entire denim industry. “A contemporary overview of our favorite article of clothing, Blue Blooded introduces traditional brands as well as designers who are stirring up the industry. The book covers the topic of jeans in its entirety—from their rivets to their various washes and from their cultural history to a recommended selection of stores where they can be bought. And, of course, the things every denimhead needs to know: How to wash—or not wash—your jeans. How denim is made. And how denim makes us who we are.” The cover of the book is wrapped in real rigid denim fabric from the Candiani mill from Italy.

BUT. Let’s face the problems that come along with the denim industry. And there are a lot. A really great read is this article on Refinery29:

If Your Jeans Are Cheaper Than This, You’ve Got A Problem.

The author Alden Wicker asks herself  “Is there a sweet spot between sustainable status-symbol jeans that cost hundreds, and the cheapest of the cheap?”. And she analyzes the crytical points of denim production: “toxic chemicals, sandblasting, water usage, pesticides, and dangerous labor conditions — who knew the beloved jean could be so lethal?” And here is the point.

Which brands produce in a good way?

“Project Just, a website that empowers consumers with information on how their clothes are made, released its first Just Approved Guide. For this debut list, Just did a deep dive into the world of denim, and came up with four brands, that are doing everything right to create jeans that are non-toxic, in safe conditions, using less water, by people paid a fair wage, among other feel-good things”. The brands are Mud Jeans, Kings Of Indigo, Nudie Jeans, patagonia plus an honorable mention for Levi’s.

Here you can find another list of 11 Fair Trade Jeans Brands [via The Good Trade].

And Turkish brand ISKO became the first denim mill in the world to receive the Nordic Swan Ecolabel award [via WGSN]. “The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is the official Ecolabel in the Nordic countries. Established in 1989 by the Nordic Council of Ministers, it was created with the purpose of providing an environmental labeling scheme that would contribute to sustainable consumption.  As one of the largest denim producers in the world, the Turkish mill has striven to be an essential actor in the responsible innovation of sustainable denim production. Isko has a wide range of innovative fabric technologies and products that meet the most diverse demands of the denim sector and has offices in 35 countries across the globe. The award and certification is a major accomplishment for the business that sanctions the significance of their tangible pro-environment efforts”.

Via [Ethical Shopping Guide to Jeans] What to keep in mind when thinking about denim production.

1 Cotton: Cotton does require huge amounts of water and land,and when grown conventionally is doused with huge amounts of chemicals. Cotton is planted on 2.4% of the world’s crop land but accounts for 24% and 11% of the global sales of insecticide and pesticides respectively. It is also largely grown from genetically modified seed.

2 Sandblasting: in 2010, campaigners drew our attention to the practice of sandblasting – a process carried out to give jeans their pre-worn look. It involves quite literally blasting sand particles at a pair of jeans with a jet of air. Unless extensive safety precautions are taken the practice is deadly, resulting in lung silicosis for the workers who breathe in the tiny particles. Thanks to campaign action, many brands announced bans on sandblasting in 2010/11. But a follow-up report in 2013 found that all this had done in effect was to force the practice underground.  As a result, in order to receive a best rating on this issue, Ethical Consumer expects companies to not only commit to a ban on sandblasting, but also to state publicly how they monitor their supply chains for compliance with their policy. The best scoring companies in this issue are:

Clothes shops: M&S, Arcadia, Primark, New Look, H&M and Asda. Jeans brands: Monkee Genes, Nudie, Kuyichi, Hiut, Mud Jeans, F-ABRIC (does not make faded-look jeans), VF Corp (Lee, Wrangler), G-Star and PVH Corp (Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger).

3 Water Consumption: Alarming Water Consumption It takes around 11,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans. Much of this impact is in the growing of cotton, which is a very thirsty crop and is usually irrigated. But the ‘wet processing’ stage is also a very thirsty one, with the dyes, fabric treatments and washing all consuming lots of water.