Your Jeans Have More Impact Than You Think
A look into the denim industry’s impact on the environment and what companies are doing to become more sustainable
Jeans are commonly known around the world as a wardrobe staple, but what is not commonly known is how detrimental the denim industry is to the environment and local communities surrounding the manufacturing plants. Denim is mainly constructed of cotton, a natural fiber that consumes vast amounts of water throughout its growing and harvesting periods. During the manufacturing process of denim, water is consumed heavily throughout the dyeing and washing processes resulting in a total of 2,900 gallons (almost 11,000 liters) of water consumed from beginning to end of a single pair of jeans. Much of this water is mixed with chemicals for the dyeing/washing process and is thereafter unusable. Although the trend is to be environmentally conscience, people still do not fully understand the harmfulness of the denim industry. The denim industry is extremely detrimental to local communities through water consumption and pollution; however, sustainable jean companies are available, and can make a significant difference.
2,900 gallons (almost 11,000 liters) of water consumed from beginning to end of a single pair of jeans
Negative impacts of the denim industry
Local communities and the environment surrounding denim manufacturing plants are greatly impacted by the water consumption and pollution cause by the manufacturing process. Around 300 million pairs of jeans are produced per year in the Chinese province of Xintang, each consuming gallons of water and chemical dyes in order to reach the finished product. Through the dyeing process 2.5 billion gallons of wastewater is produced and consequently released into the environment, contaminating an estimated 70% of Asia’s lakes and rivers. Due to the chemicals used in the dyeing process the water is unusable thereafter and is released back into the environment surrounding the plant. This not only proves to be a large waste of water, but also exposes wildlife and humans to toxic chemicals that can be detrimental to their health.
A joint study that confirms the importance of this health issue was conducted by Thoker Farook Ahmed, Manderia Sushil and Manderia Krishna at both Vikram University and PMB Gujarati Science College in India. They looked into the wastewater that was being produced and discharged by Bhairavgarh dye industries. Bhairavgarh dye industries is located in the city of Ujjain, Madhya Pradish, which is famous for its dyeing factories, and is discharging its wastewater into the River Kshipra. It was found that the river’s water quality was being adversely affected resulting in an unhealthy environment for aquatic life and a significant health risk to rural communities who relied on the river as their source of domestic water. Often the local communities are poor and do not have the funds to clean or filter their water thus they continue to live near and use the contaminated waters produced through the dye industries. Although there are regulations for water quality in place the study shows that the provincial government and nonprofit organizations of India must put further measures in place to regularly check the water quality and provide treatment to ensure communities have a reliable clean water source. Clearly, there is no doubt that the denim industry is affecting the environment and local communities in a negative way.
2.5 billion gallons of wastewater is produced and consequently released into the environment, contaminating an estimated 70% of Asia’s lakes and rivers
Sustainable technologies
In response to the health and environment issues caused by the denim industry there are various denim companies striving for sustainability that are available for consumers to turn to in order to help the industry become more environmentally friendly. There is a huge area of opportunity in which the denim industry can be made sustainable. Starting at the beginning when the cotton is growing, all the way to the dyeing process there is technology being developed to create a more sustainable industry. In 2016, Levi Straus & Co. partnered with EvrNu, a company focused on textile technology, in order to tackle the problem at the source: obtaining the virgin cotton.
Instead of using virgin cotton, cotton that has not gone through any washing or bleaching, Levi and EvrNu were able to take 5 used cotton t-shirts and recycle them in order to construct a pair of Levi’s jeans. This greatly decreases the water footprint of the pair of jeans as the water used during the growing process is eliminated. As stated by Paul Dillinger, head of global product innovation at Levi Strauss & Co., says,
“This first prototype represents a major advancement in apparel innovation. We have the potential to reduce by 98 percent the water that would otherwise be needed to grow the virgin cotton while giving multiple lives to each garment”
This is important technology as it greatly reduces the water consumption at the first stage of the denim process as well as prevents used clothing from ending up in landfills.
A completely different technology is being developed by Clariant in Muttenz, Switzerland, a textile chemicals and dye company. Clariant is developing a new dyeing technology named Advanced Denim. Although the technology behind Advanced Denim is complicated it comes down to the use of Sulphur dyes instead of indigo. The use of these dyes allows a smaller amount to be used in a single step application and also removes the need of rinsing after application, thus greatly reducing the amount of water used and contaminated during the process.
The Advanced Denim technology takes on a completely different issue within the denim manufacturing process than Levi Strauss & Co and EvrNu; however, they are all working towards the same goal: water reduction and thus a more sustainable denim industry. Companies must continue to push their sustainable technologies and consumers must turn towards these sustainable options to create a more environmentally friendly industry.
Why is sustainable denim not a larger market?
Although there are various brands producing sustainable denim it is still not yet the industry norm and this is due to cost and demand. The difference in cost of sustainable garments compared to average garments is minimal; however, for some producers who are making millions of garments the cost quickly adds up.
In addition, consumer demand for sustainable denim is not high enough to warrant production companies to switch completely to sustainable denim. As soon as the demand for sustainable denim increases and the number of garments and products produced increases, the cost of the sustainable technology will decrease. The demand for sustainable denim is low largely to the lack of knowledge of the average consumer with regards to how detrimental the denim industry is to the environment and local communities. Thus, the first step is to educate consumers on the denim industry’s environmental impact giving reason for the slight increase in price, but also continued research into technologies that will meet the criteria for better water impact, chemistry, and a lower cost.
In Conclusion
The denim industry is extremely detrimental to local communities through water consumption and pollution; however, sustainable jean companies are available, and can make a significant difference. In order to construct a single pair of jeans it can take up to 11,000 litres of water, much of which is contaminated with chemicals used during the dyeing process. These contaminated waters are unusable thereafter and are released back into the environment; thus, creating an unhealthy environment for wildlife and humans alike. Various companies are working on developing technologies to create a sustainable denim industry. Levi and EvrNu developed technology to recycle the cotton from t-shirts to construct a pair of jeans while Clariant developed the Advanced Denim process for dyeing denim in a more water conscious and efficient manner. It is important that both companies and consumers work towards a more sustainable denim industry thus helping the environment and local communities affects by the industries toxic wastefulness.
