Roadmap to Rational Denim aims to pave the way for sustainable denim production

Four industry leaders in the denim supply chain have launched recently a collaborative project geared toward sustainable jeans production that the companies are hoping would blaze a trail that others in the industry would follow.

The project called "Roadmap to Rational Denim" aims to make denim garments with the most efficient use of resources at every stage of production, from fiber to finish.

Each of the program's proponents brought their expertise to the table. Tencel producer Lenzing contributed its most-prominent fiber creation while colors specialty chemical company Anchroma contributed its Advanced Denim dyeing technology for indigo alternatives. Textile specialist Royo used its years of experience in working with Tencel to produce the fabrics, either made of pure Tencel or cotton blends. Garmon, a company that focuses on environment-friendly chemical innovation, pitched in its Green Screen-approved models to simplify the finishing process.

"Rational Denim takes a respectful distance from a number of so-called 'sustainable' market initiatives that are superficial, if not artificial. It is about delivering a pragmatic, highly responsible, very credible approach to denim product innovation and making it available to the creative minds throughout the world," said Garmon chief marketing officer Alberto de Conti at the project's launched at the recently concluded Kingpins in Amsterdam.

"We decided to call this denim concept 'rational' because it is based in the use of existing technologies which are proven to have a very low impact in the environment,” Miguel Sanchez, head of special dyes for textile specialties at Archroma, added. "We did not want to establish any kind of 'right versus wrong' dilemma, just highlight that denim can be produced today in a more logical way, considering the challenges that the planet is facing regarding the availability of basic resources."

According to a recent study by Anchroma, 11,000 liters of water are needed to manufacture a pair of jeans, and with global production reaching about 167 million pairs monthly, overall production consumes a staggering 1.84 trillion liters of water each month. The company's Advanced Denim technology is said to cut water consumption by 92 percent, energy usage by 30 percent and waste by 87 percent.

But even with the existence of such technologies, many fabric mills are still reluctant to join the movement because of the heavy financing involved.

Sanchez believes, however, that not everything is about look and price.

"Brands are the connection between two dimensions—the end consumer and production—and brands should play an active role in informing end consumers about what it takes to make the jeans and the implications for the environment," he said. "The message that Rational Denim wants to transmit is that, in denim and outerwear fashion, creativity without sustainability no longer makes sense. The other way around doesn't either," he added.