onearth.com is a site that touts itself as “A Survival Guide for the Planet”, and they recently published an in depth article on how destructive denim production is for the environment.
The article breaks down how each stage is detrimental, from the water and pesticides used to grow the cotton, to the chemicals and energy required for production, to the dyeing and distressing techniques used to give jeans their distinctive look.
onearth also goes on to ask the question that a growing number of enviromental agencies are asking: is organic cotton is actually better for the environment.
If you were hoping to save the world by the seat of your pants, think again. Organic cotton jeans are a good first step, but few are processed in a planet-lite manner. The evolution of jeans from durable work wear to fashion statement came at a heavy cost: each new shade of blue, each stone wash and slick finish, requires yet another rinse cycle-and more energy and water.
onearth points out that organic cotton yields can be up to 50% lower than traditionally produced cotton, which makes it impossible to supply the worlds demand for cotton goods. Reco Jeans Upcycles manufacturing scraps to make the denim we use in our jeans. Over 60% of the cotton we use comes from pre-consumer fabric scraps, reducing the need for fresh cotton by 40%. That means each pair of jeans requires 800 gallons less fresh water to produce.
It also goes on to say how little things are often overlooked, like the production of zippers and rivets. Reco Jeans is proud to say that all the metal in our jeans is completely non-toxic and we dont use any chemicals or finishing agents.
onearth goes on to recommend that you check the maunfactures website for more information before you decide what jeans to buy, and we couldn’t agree more.
Check out the new Reco Jeans Website and current Collection.