According to a study by NPD group, approximately 364 million pairs of ladies jeans were purchased between February 2018 and February 2019 across the globe.
The demand for denim is significantly increasing. Data shows the $16.4 billion industry for jeans in the U.S. grew 5% in 2018, driven largely by increased purchases within the women’s vertical.
Total market share of Denim in the world is 65 billion US dollar now and it will be doubled by 2030.
By 2030 the world population will reach at 9 billion thus the nature will struggle to meet the human needs and environment will receive huge negative impact of the fast fashion industry. The aim of the concept Green Denim is to ensure that the denims are made from safe and renewable materials and the old denims are processed into a new one. Green Denim is a sustainable denim manufacturing concept towards the aim of greener textiles.
What is Green Denim?
It is the concept to make the denim in more greener way from its very first step such as cotton cultivation to wash in laundry aiming the lowest use of water, chemicals & energy and ensuring the best possible long lasting facility and finally return to the biosphere in safely manner when it has no human use. It is also termed as more sustainable denim to make the jeans for all ages.
Use of organic cotton, post consumer waste cotton, recycle polyester, eco chemicals and dyes can reduce wastage of water and carbon emission footprints at some extend.
In washing plant the use of latest machine like laser, ozone treatment and nostone can reduce the environmental impact of denim production.
While the retail implications of this rising demand and product interest are exciting for brands with denim collections, the uptick in denim production it entails also comes with considerable environmental impacts.
Sustainability in Denim shows that cotton cultivation and processing, for example, requires about 1,500 gallons of water to grow the 1.5 pounds of cotton necessary to produce a single pair of jeans.
Sustainability in Denim shows that cotton cultivation and processing, for example, requires about 1,500 gallons of water to grow the 1.5 pounds of cotton necessary to produce a single pair of jeans.
According to a study by Textile Exchange , to produce one pair of Jeans 10,850 liters water is required and also causes 32.5 KG carbon-dioxide gas emissions. If the Denims are produced with organic cotton then 3000 liters water can be saved as well as 2.5kg carbon-dioxide gas emission will be reduced.
On July 2016, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a nonprofit focused on the circular economy and sustainable practices, released a set of guidelines called the "Jeans Redesign," which struggles to address waste within the denim industry by setting minimum requirements around materials, durability and more. The promotes the principles of the circular economy and will work to ensure jeans last longer, can easily be recycled, and are made in a way that is better for the environment and the health of garment workers," their press release stated.
Big brands are taking note, as evidenced by news of Wrangler, Madewell and Gap signing on to participate in the foundation's call for more sustainable denim.
Wrangler is working to reduce the energy required to dye its denim products, Madewell released a line of fair trade-certified denim, and Gap is working to achieve 100% sustainably-sourced cotton for its denim items by 2025.
Wrangler is working to reduce the energy required to dye its denim products, Madewell released a line of fair trade-certified denim, and Gap is working to achieve 100% sustainably-sourced cotton for its denim items by 2025.
However, this transformation is not possible with a single brand or individual. To actually make the denim production greener, businesses, governments, citizens, and innovators have to join forces. Producing more sustainable denim initiative has already brought many industry leaders together including GAP, Burberry, H&M, Nike, and Stella McCartney.Consumers should support smaller brands who start off sustainably from day one and demand change from big brands who need to be held accountable.
At the end of the day, consumers vote with how they spend their dollars. If sustainability is what consumers want, they'll need to be willing to pay for it.
References:
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/kaleighmoore/2019/07/19/can-fashion-retailers-implement-sustainable-practices-as-demand-for-denim-grows/#7ef6dc475eda
- https://www.fashionrevolution.org/the-future-of-denim-part-1-how-the-humble-jean-is-redefining-sustainable-style/
- https://www.sustainabledenims.com/2019/11/produce-sustainable-denim-using-organic.html
