I’ve been on the lookout for the best sustainable jeans brands because jeans are some of the most unsustainable garments on this planet. On top of polyester clothes, making a pair of jeans uses so much water and chemicals, that it’s unhealthy for people and the planet.
To do my part, I’d like to provide you with better alternatives to shopping denim. In addition, I want us to take a look at how jeans are made, so that ya’ll understand the issue with them.
For a list of 13 sustainable jeans brands that are taking inspiring action, scroll down. For a greater understanding of the waste footprint of a pair of jeans, let’s dig in!
Why Making Jeans Is So Unsustainable?
A basic pair of jeans ismade in 5 steps: weaving, cutting, sewing, distressing, washing and drying. Every single one of these steps is problematic in terms of sustainability.
Labor
Did you know that jeans are made out of cotton? This is a big issue in itself, because most of the cotton used in garment production is intensively harvested and soaked in pesticides. Cotton pickers suffer from increased cancer rates and lung diseases caused by the pesticides and cotton dust.
Labor injustice is something that has been a massive issue in denim production on all stages. In addition to illnesses, that are caused by complete lack of protective gear, slave labor is a massive thing in the cotton industry. Entire countries are known to force their people to work on the cotton fields for less than minimal pay.
When the cotton has been picked, it’s processed into thread, from which the actual fabric is weaved. The cutting and sewing of the fabric doesn’t harm the environment or waste resources as such. But again, the work is done in dangerous conditions (Rana Plaza), and for no pay whatsoever.
Let’s remember that sustainability in fashion isn’t just about eco-friendly fabrics and operations! It also includes human rights and ethical operations. The abysmal salaries and working conditions of traditional denim making trump sustainability.
Chemicals
Trendy jeans today look worn, might even have big holes in them. This worn look and the rips are achieved by distressing or sandblasting. This means rubbing the fabric with sand, stones, or modifying it by using potassium acid.
Jeans are also dyed in different kinds of chemicals depending on the desired look. This is all done by hand, and would thus require protective gear. Guess how often garment workers are provided with such protective gear? We’re talking acids! You all know what it does to your skin, even lungs when breathed, right?
Especially sandblasting is harmful for the garment workers. Even when wearing protective gear. Sandblasting is in fact so harmful that Turkey banned its use in 2009. This has resulted in these operations moving to less regulated countries, where sustainable jeans brands can’t be found.
Water
The amount of water wasted in denim production is in one word insane, and it starts already in the cotton fields. Cotton requires a lot of water. In fact, to grow enough cotton to produce fabric for one pair of jeans, 20,000 liters of water needs to be dumped on the field.
Let’s remember that this is often happening in countries that are already suffering from drought. The water could be better used by giving it to the people. They actually need it to survive, whereas we seriously don’t need any more jeans on this planet.
After dying, the jeans are washed and dried multiple times. This is done to wash off most (yes, only most) of the dangerous chemicals and to soften the fabric. It is estimated that creating one pair of jeans consumes the same amount of water a human being drinks in 3 years. Well, those people who actually have drinkable water available…
TOP 13 Affordable & Best Sustainable Jeans Brands
It’s not all doom and gloom, though! There are best sustainable jeans brands that are doing everything they can to make the production process ecological and ethical.
There’s no denying, jeans are such a versatile garment that it would be hard to stop wearing them altogether. And let’s keep in mind that a pair of jeans can never cost £20 if it’s made legally. Read more about sustainable pricing here. Anyway, here are your brilliant alternatives to shopping jeans more sustainably:
1. ABLE
Able is a truly inspiring brand and it’s time you heard about them! Able’s story started in Ethiopia, where the brand’s founders helped former sex workers to learn a new trade (making scarves). And that’s the path that Able is still on today: bringing women out of poverty through fashion.
Able’s workers are 95% women, and all of these women work in safe conditions and earn a livable wage. In 2018 Able started publishing their lowest wages to show their customers that they’re not just talk. Check their Our Wages page to learn more about this innovative practice.
2. Amour Vert
There are many best sustainable jeans brands that help to re-forest this planet through your purchases. Amour Vert is one of them. 97% of their production is in California, and they use organic or recycled cotton in their denim production.
They work together with the AGOLDE factory where technology is used to replace the need for dangerous chemicals. Their ozone wash technology also ensures that the amount of water used in the production stays to minimum.
3. Boyish
Boyish jeans wants to remind you of an important point: don’t buy clothes in multiples, and you can afford better! Fashion hauls are beyond last season, and totally lame. Don’t be doing them.
This is a stylish brand that makes ‘plant-based’ jeans, so vegans, attention! Boyish produce their denim pieces exclusively from recycled materials and they describe their design aesthetics as it’s written on the tin: ‘boyish’. Their ethos is to make durable jeans, not disposable ones.
4. Mott & Bow
If you’re one who prefers premium materials and fine details in terms of the best sustainable jeans brands, start shopping jeans here! The founder of Mott & Bow, Alejandro Chahin, moved from Colombia to the US, and now runs the denim business with his family.
He wanted to turn the price-to-quality paradigm on its head, and started making high class jeans for a fair price. On their website they also showcase the jeans making process bringing a dose of transparency to the mix.
5. Mud Jeans
Mud Jeans comes from the Netherlands and built their business model on the idea of circular economy. The founder of the brand, Bert van Son, wanted to change things up after seeing from the inside how the fashion industry became the greatest threat to our existence on this planet.
Their approach to circular fashion is very hands-on! First of all they use recycled denim in a lot of their production. Secondly, they have a return policy where you can send back your old jeans to be recycled. You can even send them old jeans from other brands, as long as they match their criteria.
Oh yeah, and you don’t need to buy, you can also lease.
6. Outerknown
Outerknown is proving to us that we don’t need to compromise on sustainability to be stylish. Sustainability is at the core of every decision made in this sustainable jeans brand. And they don’t want to inspire just you to shop more sustainably, they want to show the whole industry how it’s done.
This brand raises awareness and advocates for the big issues, like reducing plastic waste from our oceans. And they do it all with style. Note that this brand is the most expensive on this list, but in no way unattainable. If there’s a want, there’s a will ;)
7. Patagonia
This is one of the first sustainable brands I bumped into when embarking on my own sustainability journey in fashion. In terms of the best sustainable jeans brands, Patagonia is for the activists!
Patagonia has pledged to use 100% organic or recycled cotton in their denim production. And now they’ve taken this even further by using Regenerative Organic methods in growing cotton. Their jeans selection is small, but overall collection of clothes available vast and brilliant. Check them out!
8. Prana
Prana is taking transparency in the fashion industry to a whole new level with their “A Day In The Factory” video series. This is what fashion needs to be about, no more hiding atrocities!
This brand encourages you to ask questions about the clothes you wear the same way you do about the food you eat. Prana is another brand that uses ozone wash and lazer finishing in their denim production to drastically bring down their environmental impact.
9. Reformation
Reformation is a brand that thrives to answer the question “who made my clothes?” with traceability that stretches through every level of their supply chain. They specialize in using organic, recycled or environmentally friendly fabrics.
What separates Reformation from many of the best sustainable jeans brands is their fast production. They claim to be able to bring a dress from the design table to a store within one month. That’s all good as long as the scale they’re producing in is kept in proportion.
10. Sézane
Sézane is a Paris-born sustainable jeans brand that wants to make your curves even more sublime. And what I love about this brand the most is their openness about the fact that they are not perfect.
They don’t state to be using 100% organic cotton and then leave it unproven. Instead they tell you straight up that 67% of the cotton they use is organic and only 31% of their leather products are veggie tanned.
There’s no need to hide these things, none of us can be 100% sustainable. But we can all do our best! Which is what Sésane is doing.
11. Thought Clothing
Thought Clothing is like Zara, but actually sustainable! I love their design aesthetic and wide selection of clothes made out of organic cotton, bamboo and hemp. They share my view on making small changes that can have a huge impact. Making changes in your fashion choices can have an enormous effect!
Like many sustainable brands, Thought produces only few styles of jeans. Jeans are so labor and resource intensive that even when produced sustainably, it’s still wasteful. But they definitely don’t have a lack of options in terms of bottoms!
12. People Tree
People Tree is like the H&M of sustainable fashion. They have a whole denim collection available with everything from skirts to jeans to dungarees. And hey, they also have a Moomin Collection, so yes, I’m biased ;D
In terms of the best sustainable jeans brands, People Tree searched for a long time to find a denim producer that adhered to their sustainability requirements. Now they work in collaboration with SARP JEANS, who have been able to reduce the amount of water used by almost 90%.
13. Warp+Weft
This family company holds themselves accountable on every stage of their jeans production. On top of keeping the manufacturing processes as ethical and environmental as possible, they also swear by being inclusive.
Warp+Weft have cut out all third party factories and producers to keep their prices in check. This is a brand that breathes denim, and they’ve got styles for every taste.
Let’s shop better, especially when it comes to the most wasteful garments: jeans! What do you think of these brands, did you find a new favourite? Let’s chat! ♥
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