Ethical jeans and sustainable denim are still fairly new, with many brands only launching in the last ten years. However, it’s a fast-growing fashion sector, and in this post, we take a closer look at environmental issues that face the denim industry and the brands trying to do something about it.
What’s the Problem With Denim?
Demin jeans are a simple fashion staple that nearly everyone has at least one pair of in their wardrobe, and that explains why over 2 billion pairs of jeans are made each year. Making jeans is far from simple, and it’s the complex manufacturing required to produce denim that makes jeans so bad for the environment.
To make just one pair of jeans requires a staggering 7,000 litres of water. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly the same amount as the average person drinks in 13 years. When you multiply 7,000 litres of water by the 2 billion pairs of jeans produced each year, you realise that the current production methods simply aren’t sustainable.
The second issue is the water pollution caused by the dye’s used to colour denim and the chemicals used to grow cotton. Over 2 million tones of chemicals are used annually in denim production. It’s estimated that 70% of Asia’s (the worlds biggest denim producers) rivers and lakes are now contaminated due to the continents textile industry.
Another issue is the silica used during the sandblasting process, which gives jeans their distressed and worn look. Sandblasting denim typically requires a worker to hold a high-pressure air gun and blasting the denim at close quarters. The workers often develop a condition called Silicosis, which occurs when fine grains of silica dust become embedded in the lung tissue. The result is shortness of breath, coughing, weakness and weight loss. The condition is incurable and is very often fatal.
Can Denim Ever be Ethical?
You’ll probably agree that all of the above paints a pretty grim picture of the denim industry, and it’s about as far away from ethical and sustainable as it’s possible to be. However, it’s not all bad news; there are now lots of eco-friendly jeans and sustainable denim brands on the market. Even a few of the big denim manufacturers are starting to recognise the issues their industry causes and are upping their ethical game.
The list of brands we’ve compiled below highlight some of the best sustainable jeans currently available for UK shoppers. If we’ve missed your favourite brand, please send us the details via the comments section at the bottom of the post.
Ethical Jeans & Sustainable Denim Brands Available in the UK
Black Horse Lane
Men and Women
Cost – £££
Black Horse Lane jeans are named after the road in Walthamstow, London, where they are located. They specialise in hand made denim focusing on the selvedge and organic raw varieties. There eco-friendly jeans credentials are based on the fact that they offer a free lifetime repair policy. They will also repair none BLA jeans for a reasonable price.
Boyish
Women
Cost – £
Cruelty-free and PETA approved, Boyish jeans use organic cotton, plant-based dyes and recycled water to reduce their environmental impact. They also aim to use recycled cotton and deadstock fabric (old fabric that has never been used) where possible.
Citizens of Humanity
Men and Women
Cost – £££
LA-based Citizens of Humanity sit at the top end of the market in terms of pricing. They are committed to reducing water consumption and use several innovative techniques such as laser technology and high-efficiency washers.
DL1961
Men and Women
Cost – ££
DL1961 is a family business that has been in the denim industry for decades. They focus on optimising there manufacturing processes to reduce their use of water, harmful dyes and energy. In 2019, 98% of their water came from recycled sources meaning only 10 gallons of ‘new’ water was used to produce each pair of jeans.
E.L.V Denim
Men and Women
Cost – £££
E.L.V Denim use only recycled denim from unwanted jeans that would otherwise be heading to landfill. The jeans are washed and the denim prepared at the E.L.V denim headquarters in East London. The denim is then passed to the Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, who create each pair of jeans by hand. This method of producing jeans means only 7 litres of water are used to make each pair, and as all the denim is recycled, it has zero impact on the environment.
Finisterre
Men and Women
Cost – ££
Found in 2003 and becoming B Corp certified in 2018, Finisterre is a British brand with a handful of stores dotted around the country. They’re more than just an Eco-Friendly Jeans brand as they supply a full range of men’s and womenswear. The companies three guiding principles are people, environment and product. They focus on a ‘zero impact’ principle, which means their products and packaging have no negative effect on the environment.
G-Star Raw
Men and Women
Cost – ££
One of the better-known denim brands on the list. G-Star has committed to producing eco-friendly denim through technical innovation and introducing a supplier code of conduct that ensures their products are made under fair and safe circumstances. They have recently introduced a sustainable collection which has been awarded a Gold Level Material Health Certificate from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
Hiut Denim
Men and Women
Cost – £££
Huit Denim is a sustainable jeans specialists who count the Duchess of Sussex as one of their customers. All their jeans are hand made in Wales, and they are working towards offering fully organic cotton in the near future.
Kow Tow Clothing
Women
Cost – ££
Kow Tow uses only fairtrade certified cotton, and the manufacturers in their supply are all SA8000 certified organisations. SA8000 is a social certification program that demonstrates a businesses dedication to the fair treatment of workers.
Levi’s
Men and Women
Cost – £
A brand that not everyone would think of when it comes to sustainable denim, but, like G-Star Raw, Levis are working hard to create more eco-friendly products. At the moment, they are offering specific ranges of sustainable products. However, the plan is to role their eco practices and innovations out across more of their range in the future. If you love a pair of Levi’s and want to do your bit, then look out for products with the ‘Sustainable’ icon on their website.
Lindex
Women
Cost – £
Lindex has made a promise to make a positive difference to future generations. They do this in three ways, empowering women, respecting the planet and ensuring human rights. By 2023 they aim to be climate neutral in their operations. By 2025 their aim is for all their products to be recycled or sustainably sourced and to have removed the release of all hazardous and toxic substances from their supply chain.
MIH Jeans
Women
Cost – £££
MIH has a sustainability manifesto that documents the steps they are taking to become a more eco-friendly jeans brand. As well as increasing their use of organically grown and traceable cotton, they also employ technology to reduce their water usage. When laundering their jeans, they use Global Organic Textile Standard approved substances to minimise the use of none organic harmful chemicals entering the water supply.
Monkee Genes
Men and Women
Cost – £
Monkee Genes use organic cotton, and all their products are produced in GOTS certified factories. They also work closely with their suppliers to ensure safe working conditions and a fair living wage. Monkee is one of the lowest-priced options on the list and are a good choice if you want eco-friendly jeans but are working to a budget.
Monki
Women
Cost – £
Monki aims to be kind to the world and empower young women. They want to achieve this by focusing on the United Nation’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the goals focused on gender equality and sustainable consumption and production. Their whole denim range is produced with 100% certified organic cotton, and they are big on using recycled and low impact materials wherever possible.
MUD Jeans
Men and Women
Cost – ££
Based in the Netherlands, MUD Jeans was founded in 2012 by Bert van Son. The MUD mission is to create all of there products from post-consumer recycled cotton (currently, they’re at around 40%). MUD has a unique idea that allows their customers to ‘lease’ jeans. A lease last for 12 months, at the end of which you can keep the jeans or return them for a new pair and start a new lease. The idea behind this being that old jeans go back to them for recycling, where the materials are reused to create new pairs.
To produce a new pair of MUD Jeans uses only 581 litres of water compared with the industry average of 7000 litres. They are also carbon neutral and a Certified B Corporation.
Nudie Jeans Co
Men and Women
Cost – £
Nudie jeans want to be the most sustainable denim brand in the world. In 2019, over 97% of its products were sustainable, and it was the second year where all cotton used was from certified organic sources. A significant feature for Nudie is its jeans repair service. In 2019 they repaired over 63,000 pairs of jeans which saved 441,000 tons of water.
One Denim
Men and Women
Cost – ££
The One Demin Capsule Collections use biodegradable organic fibres and recycled materials. Their production facility in Italy also focuses on low impact technology to reduce water and energy use. One Demin has also eliminated all pesticides from their cotton-growing processes.
Outland Denim
Men and Women
Cost – ££
The company was founded to help women who had experienced sex trafficking by providing training and employment. So far, over 750 women have benefited from stable employment with Outland Denim in Cambodia. Outland also focuses on denim’s environmental issues using up to 86% less water and 57% less energy than standard jeans production methods.
Outerknown
Men and Women
Cost – £££
Founded by ex-surfer multi World Title winning surfer Kelly Slater, Outerknown launched as a business focused on creating sustainable clothing without compromising on style. They guarantee every pair of jeans for life, offering to repair, replace or recycle them. On top of this, 90% of the fibres they use are either organic, recycled, or regenerated.
Patagonia
Men and Women
Cost – ££
Patagonia is a brand focused on doing its bit for the planet, and to prove this; they give 1% of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. 83% of their product range is currently certified fairtrade, and like other sustainable brands, they are working hard to reduce their water, energy and pesticide usage.
People Tree
Women
Cost – ££
Based in Camden in London, People Tree have a whole host of sustainable accreditations including, PETA, Fairtrade Cotton, The Soil Association and World Fair Trade Organisation. They are more than simply a sustainable jeans brand, supplying a full range of sustainable and eco-friendly clothing for women.
RE/DONE
Women
Cost – £££
RE/DONE do not consider themselves to be a denim brand. They count themselves as the first luxury clothing brand that was born and developed online. RE/DONE don’t make their own jeans; instead, they use old Levi’s and re-tailor them to customers specific requirements.
Sezane
Women
Cost – ££
Sezane, like people tree, has a full range of womenswear rather than being purely denim focused. However, that doesn’t stop their jeans from being eco friendly. All new Sezane denim products are GOTS certified organic. They also employ an eco-friendly washing process that uses 50% less water than traditional methods.
