A thirst for denim

I bet you’d be hard pushed to find someone who doesn’t own at least one pair of jeans. It’s estimated that the average American has between 4-7 pairs languishing in their wardrobes. Then we have to contend with changing fashions; apparently I’m now supposed to be wearing ‘mom jeans’, ditching my trusty skinny fit ones.

The term ‘Fast Fashion’ has risen in awareness over the last few years and the detrimental impact the industry has on the environment. It’s estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the fashion industry produces 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions every year.

Jeans are a fashion staple but just how bad are they for the environment? The first shock factor has to be the amount of water that is required. From the growing of the cotton to dyeing and laundering; you’re looking at around 15,000 litres for one pair of jeans! That’s almost 15 years of an adult’s drinking water intake.

We look to China for most of our denim needs and sadly they are facing the consequences of our thirst for fashion. The dye required pollutes the wastewater which spills out of factories to contaminate rivers and lakes across Asia.

So what’s the solution? We don’t need to wander around in our birthday suits, there are plenty of eco-friendly alternatives!

Many denim brands are beginning to embrace more eco-friendly methods. When you’re buying jeans, look for suppliers who are using organic cotton, using less water and recycled materials where possible. New materials like hemp are becoming increasingly popular. To compare with cotton, it grows faster, uses less water and leaves healthy soil behind.

The most important question when purchasing a new pair of jeans however is…”Do I really need another pair?” Let’s slow fashion down.

What can you do?

1. Ditch fast fashion, pick contemporary styles that will last
2. Donate old pairs of jeans to charity shops and think about buying second hand
3. Could your old jeans be made into something else? There are lots of great tutorials making jeans into bags. Or check out small businesses like BLoC Handmade who craft handbags from recycled materials such as jeans to make beautiful pieces
4. Make your jeans last, add patches for any holes