Patagonia | Reformation

Patagonia

Environmentalism is what drives this conscience driven brand.  For Patagonia the act of giving to local environmental groups is not charity it is a way and the cost of doing business.

For their small jeans line Pataonia uses a special dye process that bonds colour more easily onto the fabric which results in a denim which wears down naturally without need of washing. Their recent collection comprises 3 raw men’s and 3 raw women’s garments none of which will touch water as they wear in to the owners shape.

Patagonia and social responsibility:

  • Ensuring humane working conditions throughout all their supply chain.
  • Adhering to Intl. labour and human rights standards.

Patagonia and their Environmentalism drive:

  • They give 1% of all sales to support environmental organisations around the World funding at grass roots levels.
  • Donations of some $78 million in cash and kind since 1985 in services to thousands of community based groups working to create positive change in the planet.

So what are the funded projects doing?

  • Taking down dams
  • Restoring forests and rivers
  • Finding solutions to mitigate climate change
  • Protecting land and marine habitats
  • Protecting endangered plants and animals
  • Supporting local organic and sustainable agriculture

And what of their clothes?

  • “ Patagonia’s worn wear” = repair; recycle it; make it last
  • “Recycled fibre” = Patagonia’s fleece tops are made from 100% recycle plastic bottles into polyester fibre.

Reformation

Commitment to best ecologically sustainable and social practices goes beyond the basics. Reformation Denim makes these practices an integral part of their brand ethos.

They put sustainability at the core of everything they do.

©Reformation

©Reformation

Using the most efficient, eco friendly and pro-social technologies and practices possible.

At the factory.

They invest in green building infrastructure minimising waste, water and energy footprints.  They invest in people by providing on the job training at their manufacturing facilities thereby providing opportunities for the future for their local workers.

REFORMATION Source electricity from 100% wind power supplies, using LED lighting, installing a “cool” roof which reflects heat and light away, offsetting about 200 tons of C02 equivalent emissions per year.

They recycle compost organic waste, donate all the textile scraps with zero waste being the goal.

Over 75% of the workforce are women or from ethnic minorities and all are paid more than the minimum wage.

By mainly selling their clothes on line the company uses 30% less energy than standard retail.

They also control their shipping and supply chain partners to ensure that even they adhere to the lowest impact solutions possible.

When applying for certification to B-Corps whose environmental standards are rigorous Reformation did not have to do anything more than what they are already doing to immediately be certified.

Levis | Nudie

Levi Strauss        

©Levis

©Levis

Levi Strauss & Co is one of, if not the most sustainable jeans brand in the World. Levi is pioneering practices to reduce the use of water, energy, harmful chemicals and other harmful things in the denim apparel industry. In doing so they take their partner suppliers along with this mission to ensure that they comply with best practices. All their suppliers must meet their terms of engagement rules be they denim fabric manufacturers or jeans makers before they can become a supplier. Such terms of engagement cover child labour rules, working hours and conditions,  health and safety and environment best practices. Levi insists on consistent quality and so by making their products last longer this also contributes to reduced climate contamination. With their Waste<Less™, Water<Less™ and Wellthread™ collections, Levi's are making a considered effort to provide sustainable products to the market.  

©Levis

©Levis

Nudie Jeans

The thoughtful jeans brand.  If you are in love with jeans – wear NUDIE!
©Nudie Jeans

©Nudie Jeans

They are the brand that combines a vintage heart with maximum sustainability. Using 100% organic cotton Nudie is a brand that has turned their core values into core actions. The company is a member of the Fir Wear Foundation ensuring social responsibility in their supply chain:  ensuring all their suppliers pay a minimum living wage, outlawing under age workers, following all health and safety rules. For Nudie, sustainability rules with the three “R’s” : Repair - offering a free repair service – a mantra of “don’t throw it away, re-use it”, Re-selling 2nd hand products in all their stores and Recycling worn out products into re-spun yarn or re-worked garments.

©Nudie Jeans

©Nudie Jeans

Such endeavours have earned the company the prestigious ”sustainable style” award as well as a loyal band of followers and a guaranteed place in all the best multi-denim stores Worldwide.

H&M | Mud Jeans

H&M

Can fashion become sustainable?

©H&amp;M

©H&M

©H&amp;M

©H&M

Today, being conscious in every part of the fashion making process is at the core of our business.

©H&amp;M

©H&M

How do they do it?

  • Increasing their use of sustainably sourced fabrics and other materials year on year. The aim is for all cotton in their ranges to come from sustainable sources by 2020.
  • Improving working conditions at their suppliers 
  • making conscious choices in every step of the garments life from cotton farmers to customers.
  • Launched a “conscious choice hangtag” displayed on all garments that qualify within their stringent scheme of sustainability.
  • Offering recycling points in all the H&M stores for your old clothes no matter what brand and what condition. H&M recycle these with the goal being to reach a totally circular approach to making textiles and garments.
  • Promoting a change of attitude in the mind of their consumers – Re-think your attitude to clothes. Become a less throw away society – Re-wear it! and other positive tips for the way we live with our clothes:
  1. Someone’s trash might be your treasure!  Have a clothes swap party.
  2. Don’t automatically throw away things that are too short or too small – re-work or cut off to make a different garment.
  3. Replace zips, take up hems, patch with contrast.
  4. Wash at 30degrees instead of 60 save tone of energy.
  5. skip doing laundry so often and save gallons of water.
  6. Remember that 26% of the environmental impact of a garment happens after it has left the store.

Mud Jeans

©Mud Jeans

©Mud Jeans

Fashion is the 2nd most polluting industry in the World.  

The global production of all textile fibres consumes 1 trillion gallons of water.

We want to help to change that!

Our dream is:

  • Use no chemicals at all
  • All water usage is a close circuit of 100% recycled.
  • To produce the first carbon neutral pair of jeans.

How?

Cotton.

  • 2.4% of the worlds cultivated land is planted with cotton yet it accounts for 24% of the world’s insecticide market and 11% sales of global pesticides.  Being therefore, the most pesticide intensive crop grown on the planet.
  • By using a cotton that uses only rain water for irrigation (organic) wereduce the water footprint of Mud Jeans at the outset. 
  • By using BCI cotton ( Better cotton initiative) we reduce the damaging effects of cotton growth on people and the environment and train the small crop growers to adhere to better growing standards whilst enabling them to earn a decent living wage.
  • By using recycled cotton ( recycled cotton waste and garnetted cotton garments) we save 40% of water, all pesticides or instecticides and eliminate all landfill garments.

Water and Chemicals.

  • By Partnering with Yousstex, Tunisia we use Laser technique for garment ageing process and Ozone technology to reduce the water and chemical dependency in both denim and jeans manufacturing.

Recycling.

  • Fast fashion like fast food encourages the consumer to buy way more garments that are required.  It is estimated that 30% of garments bought are not worn for a year.   Also estimated that the average person throws away 32kgs of clothing per year.  This all adds up to 1.7 billion kgs of unnecessary waste for landfills.
  • Fabrics used by MUD Jeans use 98% cotton of which at least half is recycled. Buttons and other sundries are also made from recycled materials and all packaging is recycled paper.

MUD jeans objective is to close the loop creating cradle to cradle jeans that is commercially feasible.

©Mud Jeans

©Mud Jeans

GStar | Source Denim

G-Star

 Just the product

©G-Star

©G-Star

Attention to their social and environmental responsibility goes beyond “just the product”. The clue is in the name – RAW! The brand started by marketing only RAW (unwashed) products in order to not only tap into fashion denim but also to promote denim produced with minimum chemicals and water.

Although the product has gone way beyond the raw concept, G-Star still remain committed to being responsible producers of what has been historically a very dirty product for all who produce both denim and jeans.

Along with collaborator Pharell Williams, G-Star launched the RAW for the Ocean collection. The products in the collection are all derived from ocean plastic which is broken down and woven with other materials to create the fabrics. The fabrics are developed in collaboration with textile company Bionic Yarn and environmental group Parley for the Oceans – an initiative that raises awareness and encourages creatives to repurpose ocean waste.

The four pillars of G Star responsibility are : Responsible supply chain – making sure their suppliers adhere to international law and social responsibilities. Making an environmentally sustainable product. Adhering to sustainable operations within their manufacturing facilities. Community involvement in their locations of manufacture.

Since 2011 G Star have a partnership with MADE-BY which is a multi stake holder organisation supporting brands in implementing strategies to improve environmental and social conditions in the fashion industry. 

SOURCE Denim

Comfortable. Durable. Sustainable. That’s better denim.

Denim that is “built” tough enough to last whilst being gentle on the planet and the people.

Denims used by SOURCE are produced using biodegradable materials replacing all harsh chemicals in denim production. SOURCE Denim boasts a 50% less chemical, water and energy use in every pair of jeans. All jeans are 100% organic cotton. None of SOURCE jeans are laundry pre-processed with no artificial distressing, washing and chemical treatments.  All are sold raw for self wearing in. This means that the water and chemical usage in SOURCE jeans is minimal. The cuts and fibre blends are designed for easy wear for an active lifestyle.

SOURCE denim jeans are made in their family owned workshop in LA which supports more than 100 workers all working under international health and safety guidelines. They collaborate with environmental associations for a better planet. SOURCE Denim gives support to: International Rivers Association – ensuring quality and quantity of water and the Washington Trails Association – helping to keep he trails clear and environment clean.