Taylor Stitch
- On average, it takes 1,500 liters (about 396 gallons) of water to produce a single pair of jeans.
- Along with the massive amount of pesticides used to grow cotton and the energy consumption in factories, jeans are one of the least eco-friendly clothing items to produce.
- As consumers become more concerned with how the products they buy affect the environment, brands are continually finding new ways to make jeans more sustainably.
- Below you'll find seven brands using eco-friendly materials like organic cotton and sustainable production methods that use less water, energy, and toxic chemicals. You'll find familiar faces like Levi's along with relative newcomers like Warp + Weft.
The way I see it, jeans are the cornerstone of any wardrobe worth having. People of all ages, styles, professions, and income levels wear them, but as common as the popular pant style is, they're actually rather harmful to the environment.
From the pesticides and insecticides used to grow cotton to the massive amounts of water, energy, and chemicals used to process the materials and turn them into denim, jeans rank as one of the least eco-friendly clothing items to make. According to Everlane, it takes about 1,500 liters (that's roughly 396 gallons) of water to produce a single pair of jeans.
Realistically, those stats aren't going to prevent anyone from buying jeans. But as responsible consumers, we can do our part by shopping brands that value sustainability in their production methods. So, to point you in the right direction, we rounded up seven brands that are making jeans more sustainably by implementing less wasteful manufacturing techniques and more effective recycling programs.
From startups like Frank And Oak and Outerknown to legacy brands like Levi's, you won't have a problem finding denim with high-impact style and low-impact everything else.
7 brands making sustainable denim:
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