Did you know those classic blue jeans you love are actually one of the biggest polluters in the textile industry? I am a fan of jeans, I buy probably one new pair every year and tend to keep them for years. But those jeans come at a heft environmental cost, the process of making and dying denim is a major environmental problem.
Lets look at some facts:
-Nearly 2 billion jeans are produced annually world wide.
-Up to 2,000 gallons of water are used to make an average pair of jeans
-Over a pairs life time up to 300 gallons are used to keep them clean
-Garment dying is the second largest source of water pollution in the world
I am never going to stop wearing jeans, they are a staple for my wardrobe every season. There are several really great eco-initiatives to limit the environmental impact of the denim industry.
Some of my favorites include the Madewell Denim Recycling program. Did you know you can bring any used pair of jeans into a Madewell store and they will recycling them through a program Blue Jeans Go Green, your old jeans will then get turning into housing insulation. Any denim product is eligible and Madewell will even give you $20 off your next pair of jeans. So far 191 Tons of waste have been recycled through Madewell’s partnership with Blue Jean Go Green. Thats 191 tons of denim that did not end up in a landfill!
Last year after Mike’s dad passed he took his old jeans that were too worn to be donated to our local Madewell store, the sales associate was surprised and told him that people never bring their jeans in. Why not? I am a big fan of donating but when clothes that are to worn get donated they risk being thrown out. Madewell is a great option! In Boston there are store locations on Newbury St and the Prudential Center, but no matter where you are there is probably a Madewell near by.
Sustainable fashion is often tied to minimalism. If you identify as a minimalist more power to you, I do not. But no matter what your personal style is you can make more eco-friendly fashion choices. Look for brans that use organic cotton and eco-friendly dying processes, and you can make eco-friendly choices even when it comes to how you dispose of your clothes..
Stay tuned for my list of favorite sustainable clothing brands, best eco-friendly hotels, and much much more.
Repair – Recycling – Donate
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