From clothes to accessories, catwalks to the countryside, denim is virtually everywhere and is responsible for our jeans, skirts, jackets and even overalls, why not?
The versatility of denim has caused it to become a ‘must have’ in every closet. However, our love for this trendy fabric has perhaps gone too far… did you know that around 2 billion pairs of jeans are produced per year?[1] So, if overproduction is one of the reasons why the fashion industry is terrible for the environment, I can’t help but wonder… how sustainable is denim?
Where it all began…
Unlike what you may be thinking, denim was not Levi’s doing. In fact, it was born far from the United States of America and has been around for much longer.[2]
“The earliest use of denim refers to a serge material (a twill fabric commonly used in military uniforms) from Nimes, France in the 1850s.”[3] Fabrics were named after their place of origin so ‘denim’ is a derivation of “serge de Nimes.” At that point in history, denim was a blend of silk and wool and was far from being the “all-cotton denim” that we know today. The latter was first created in England and later perfected in American mills.[4]
So what about the pioneer in jeans manufacture, Levi Strauss & Co.? Here it comes: “the first official blue jean dates back to May 20, 1873, when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted patent #139,121 to Levi Strauss & Co. and Jacob Davis for the process of placing rivets on men’s denim work pants for strength.”[5]
These first jeans were mostly worn as workwear. It wasn’t until their Hollywood debut that they started to be considered trendy and fashionable. The rest is history…
How is denim made?
Denim is a durable and long-lasting fabric made from cotton or cotton blends via a two-toned weaving process with closely packed fibers that results in a diagonal pattern.[6] This process is what gives jeans their characteristic indigo look: “dyed thread in the warp (lengthwise) thread and natural or white yarn in the weft (horizontal) position.”[7]
What makes denim unique is its malleability thanks to the fact that the dye doesn’t penetrate the thread buy only coats it. This allows achieving various finishes (neat, ‘distressed’, pre-worn), through methods such as enzyme washes, sandblasting, or bleaching.[8]
Denim’s environmental impact
The real environmental impact of denim depends on multiple factors, namely, raw materials, pesticides, dying process, durability, etc. Let’s take a closer look at this.
Water consumption
As mentioned before, denim as we know it today is made of cotton or cotton blends. So, how much environmental impact could it have if it’s mostly made of a natural fiber? The thing is that, although being a natural fiber, cotton is quite a thirsty crop and not as sustainable as it may appear. Growing cotton accounts for 69% of the water footprint of textile fiber production and a conventional cotton pair of denim jeans can take more than 9,000 gallons of water to produce. Just compare it to a cotton T-shirt, which needs around 2,000 gallons of water.
Imagine using that absurd amount of water to make a pair of jeans when over 10% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to clean water to meet their basic needs.[9] Ridiculous, right?
Pesticides and dyes
Water usage is not the only environmental issue denim has. Unless certified organic, pesticides and harmful chemicals are commonplace in cotton production and the dying process. [10] Some studies have shown that cotton accounts for 16% of insecticides and 6.8% of all herbicides used worldwide.[11] Sadly, these chemicals could be harmful to the environment, the worker’s health (Azo Dyes are an example since they are known to release carcinogenic amines) and can even pollute nearby soil and water systems, threatening entire ecosystems!
Luckily, progress has led us to the development of new technologies that are more environmentally and worker-friendly, namely, organic cotton and natural dyes. One way to help reduce the release of harmful chemicals to the environment is to look for brands that use more sustainably-conscious processes paying special attention to certifications and greenwashing.
Sandblasting
We’ve all fallen in love with the carefree-chic look of distressed jeans, but have you ever wondered about the processes that denim has to go through to achieve that aesthetic? A quite popular way is sandblasting, a technique that has raised some eyebrows because it “can be extremely damaging to workers’ health if performed without suitable protective equipment.”[12] The process consists in literally blasting the jeans with sand to soften the fabric and wear them down. The health issue here is that a large amount of silica dust is generated during the process, which is inhaled by workers causing silicosis, a potentially lethal pulmonary disease.[13]
The worst part is that there are other ways to achieve a similar look that are not as harmful and dangerous as sandblasting like stone washing, brushing, or lasers. There is no real need to keep using this one, so why are some companies still doing so? Money. Sandblasting tends to be cheaper than other processes like laser.
People
For those who don’t know it, cotton’s roots are controversial. There was a time when cotton and slavery went hand in hand in the United States of America, so much so that it was even used as a currency for trading enslaved people.[14]
Luckily, things have changed and, at least legally, slavery is not allowed in most countries of the world. However, exploitation is still commonplace in the production of cotton and, thus, denim. In a nutshell: “exploitation is woven into the history of cotton production.”[15] And as if this were not enough, pesticides and chemicals can be heavily used in the production of cotton and denim dying process (unless organic), which triggers a long list of negative effects on workers’ health.
Final thoughts: The future of denim?
Sustainability has officially entered the fashion industry chat and it was about time! Companies and brands are heading towards a more sustainable future and are taking into consideration topics such as water consumption, chemical and energy usage, and fair labor practices. An example of this is Levi’s, which has been working in its rebranding as a “greener” denim company and started using “cottonized” special kind of hemp, a cotton-hemp blend (Levi’s® WellthreadTM x Outerknown collection).[16]
However, although the processes and materials are important in the path to sustainability, the key here is overproduction, a.k.a., the biggest culprit in denim’s environmental impact. Denim is a billion-dollar industry that is still rapidly growing and we must work on reducing or at least slowing down its production.
But denim has two sides to it. Despite all its flaws, denim has a great virtue: durability. A good quality denim jean is probably something that you won’t have to think about replacing for a long time. Bottom line: we should take advantage of this virtue and start shopping consciously for denim clothes that fit well and that we know we will wear many times. Finally, look for certifications and buy second-hand!
Did you know about denim’s environmental impact? Do you think overproduction can be reduced? Let me know in the comments below!
