Is Denim Sustainable? Different Sustainable Denim Fabrics

Denim is cotton, and cotton can indeed be sustainable. However, producing sustainable denim jeans from cotton can use lots of water, energy, and chemicals. And when that is the case, denim is noo longer an ethical fabric, and can harm the environment.

Water and energy are used to grow and produce cotton, but if a fashion manufacturer uses sustainable processes, this will use less water and energy. The chemicals used in the manufacturing process are for dyeing and finishing the fabric. As these are often toxic, this means they also impact the environment negatively.

The Impact Denim has on the Environment

By default, denim is neither sustainable nor ethical. Here is a guideline on the denim environmental impact, and how you can ensure you manufacture denim jeans sustainably, including other denim items for your fashion products. Let’s take each impact separately…

Water

One of the denim jeans brands that has a notable history of epitomising denim jeans is Levi Strauss. This, of all the jeans brands in the United States, has also had to re-examine how they manufacture the fabric because they found they were using 3,780 litres of water to make just one pair of denim jeans. As a result, they are now using various sustainability initiatives to lessen the impact of denim jeans production on the environment.

Since Levi Strauss and other jeans manufacturers have started considering sustainability when they make their products, the water used to grow cotton and to process jeans has been reduced substantially. The secret, many denim jeans brands have found, is to use organic cotton for the denim; this requires less water to grow, as rainwater is used instead of an irrigation system, so it has less impact on the environment.

Energy

Weaving, spinning, and finishing denim material uses a lot of energy from fossil fuels; this is a major contributor to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. More jeans brands and manufacturers are doing their best to use less energy when they produce sustainable denim fabric, soo they can help build a more ethical future for the planet instead of having a negative impact.

Chemicals

Pesticides and fertilisers are often used when growing cotton, which denim is made from. These elements are toxic. Other harmful chemicals are also used to colour the material and finish it. Synthetic indigo is one of these chemicals fashion manufacturers use to colour denim jeans and other products denim blue and give the fabric a special finish for a specific texture; this requires chemicals like formaldehyde, which is unhealthy for factory workers. Toxic chemicals can also pollute the soil and water systems, which results in further health risks.

When it comes to dyeing fabric, chemicals like Azo dyes contain carcinogens, which is a major risk to workers’ safety. Using indigo to colour the fabric denim blue isn’t much better. According to John Dueber, a professor of bioengineering who co-led research and published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, “Dyeing for denim jeans is unfortunately a pretty dirty process”. He explains that most denim fabric dyeing isn’t done ethically and negatively impacts the environment; dyeing uses synthetically produced denim blue or indigo dye, either light or dark. Denim jean brands and fashion manufacturers use various toxic chemicals for dyeing, including formaldehyde, as we mentioned, earlier, which also negatively impacts the environment.

For some inspiration, read our informative blog on Why Sustainability in Fashion is an Environmental Necessity.

Fashion Waste Ending in Landfill

One of the guides we previously created is an informative one on The Effect of Fabric Waste which explains how fast fashion is causing so much fashion waste to end up in landfills or is incinerated, creating greenhouse gas emissions.

 In it, we mention 3 mind-bending facts:

1. “It takes over 200 years for these fabrics to decompose in landfill. And while these textiles decompose in landfills, the textile waste generates methane gas.
2. As a result of textile waste, toxic chemicals and dyes are now found in our soil.
3. Of 92 million tonnes of textile waste created globally by different fashion brands each year, the UK wastes 336,000 tonnes.”

When we look at these statistics and consider denim waste, we’re not even thinking about the vast amount of water contaminated with chemicals being released into the environment and the ocean, thanks to the fashion industry.

How are Denim Jeans Made?

Commonly, sustainable denim jeans are produced from twill cotton woven fabric. These cotton fibres are spun into yarn, and then go through the dyeing process to make them the signature denim shade we know so well. Unfortunately, there is not enough organic cotton available to use, which would make it far more sustainable.

Cotton denim material is then woven to create the required texture for jeans. As stretch denim fabric is popular in jeans culture, the denim material is produced with some amount of elastane and spandex, a stretchy polyester fibre. When jean brands and other fashion manufacturers use these cotton denim materials, this jeans material is less sustainable.

Some fashion manufacturers use more sustainable stretch fabrics, like TENCEL, Modal and Lyocell, all cellulose-based, man-made materials. Others use rPET (Recycled Polyester, made from recycled plastic bottles) and Recycled Elastane.

What is Sustainable Denim?

• • To be sustainable, cotton needs to be GOTS-certified! GOTS (The Global Organic Textile Standard), guarantees the textile is sustainable worldwide. This certification includes manufacturing the cotton, harvesting it, and producing the textile. Read more about GOTS & other Textile Certifications here.
  • Textile dyeing is also crucial in deciding whether the denim is sustainable. We’ve discussed how toxic chemicals like formaldehyde are used to colour denim jeans that famous hue, which pollutes waterways, and how this affects marine life and humans. We also compiled a comprehensive blog on Sustainable Textile Dyeing, for you.

Is all Denim Sustainable?

• Unless the denim material is 100% cotton, preferably 100% organic, the material is unlikely to be completely sustainable denim. So, how to make denim jeans sustainable? Often, fashion brands and manufacturers combine cotton with a polyester blend when they produce denim jeans material: this is not eco-friendly. Read all about Organic Cotton & why we Should use This Cotton Type.
• If a polyester blend is not used, cotton is often combined with elastane to make the fit more comfortable by stretching. This is another unsustainable denim blend.
• The methods used to create a particular texture of denim material for jeans and other products can also affect its sustainability. When jean fashion brands treat the denim textile with acid wash or sand-blasting for a ‘worn’ look, this isn’t environmentally-friendly. Harmful chemicals like chlorine are unhealthy to factory workers, making the textile unsustainable. Factories are now using more innovative, green methods to treat material including waterless dyeing, foam dyeing, and lasers for texture.

Manufacturing Denim Jeans Sustainably

Jean brands and fashion manufacturers are doing their utmost to produce material more sustainably, including denim jeans. This is how they’re doing it:

• They choose organic cotton instead of regular; it uses less water, energy, and chemicals.
• Manufacturers apply techniques that require less water and fewer chemicals, including laser technology, which reduces water usage by up to 90%.
• Manufacturers use renewable energy resources like solar and wind power to make sustainable denim material for blue jeans and other products.
• Avoid using harmful pesticides and fertilisers.
• Choose natural, less harmful products for dyeing instead of synthetic ones.
• Brands use eco-friendly raw materials, not harmful chemicals for special finishes like distressed and faded denim fabric.
• Manufacturers also ensure workers work in a safe, green environment and receive fair wages and benefits.

The Challenges of Recycling This Cotton Fabric

1. Even if the cotton textile is 100% organic and biodegradable, its fibres may have been blended with synthetic ones, like elastane, or dyeing the jeans textile could be done using a substance containing toxic chemicals to make a specific blue jeans colour.
2. Sadly, the process used for recycled cotton can involve mixing the material with harmful synthetic fibres.

maake Focuses on Sustainability for Printing 

As we focus on sustainability at maake, the material we use for printing is exceptional. It is 100% GOTS-certified cotton with a tight diagonal twill weave that is prominent on the print face. This adds an appeal to your final printed material.

Denim is a solid, sturdy textile, perfect for clothing like jeans, accessories, bags, upholstery and crafts. This material has no stretch. Denim is extremely hard-wearing, and a heavyweight material – the heaviest in our cotton range. Its white print face prints bright colours.

At maake we print on our cotton fabrics in one of the most eco-friendly ways possible, using sustainable Digital Pigment inks. We use no water in the printing process and around 95% less energy than traditional screen printing. Fabrics are printed in our North London factory, a zero-to-landfill facility.

If you’d like more information, read about our maakeLess Textile Waste project or contact us.

Follow this link to shop for cotton material from our extensive menu. Remember: if you don’t find what you want, you can contact us.

Print your own design on denim material here 

Read all about Choosing Sustainable Fabrics for Your Eco-Friendly Products here.