Consumers all over the world are increasingly moving towards more eco friendly clothing choices. Unfortunately, the world's most popular clothing item, denim jeans, also happen to have some major negative impacts on the environment. According to the Fashion Law, about 7,000 liters of water are used to manufacture a single pair of jeans. As such, manufacturers are constantly looking for more ways to reduce the impact of jeans on the environment. Here are some methods that are being used to make sustainable jeans.


Use of Organic Cotton


Organic cotton is grown using materials and techniques that have a low environmental impact. The goal is to maintain soil fertility and reduce the use of toxic pesticides or fertilizers. This is a great way to help build biologically diverse agriculture. Nowadays, most eco friendly clothing producers are delivering 100% organic cotton without bleaching. Instead of bleaching, environmentally friendly enzyme finishes and dry techniques are being used.


Ozone Washing


Ozone washing involves the harnessing of ozone's natural bleaching capabilities. This technique is being used to give jeans various bleaching effects. As you might imagine, this significantly reduces the environmental impact. Ozone has some strong oxidizing capabilities. This allows it to destroy indigo dyes found in fabrics. The result is a bleached appearance. To do this, denim jeans are dampened and exposed to ozone. The desired level of bleaching is usually achieved within 15 minutes. Once the process is done, the ozone reconverts to oxygen, which is safer for the environment.


Eco friendly Dyes


In the past, manufacturers used large amounts of chemical dyes to give various colors to their denim jeans. However, nowadays, there are plenty of other dye options being used. For instance, dyes are extracted from vegetable sources. This includes options like natural indigo, which is being grown in India. When used with environment-friendly reducing agents, the entire process becomes highly environmentally friendly.


These are some of the methods, materials, and techniques being used to make sustainable denim jeans. Other options that are being used include foam dyeing and finishing. This significantly reduces the wet pick-up rate. As such, manufacturers won't need to use lots of dye. Are you interested in learning more about eco friendly clothing? Get in touch with Bel Air Fashions today. We would love to hear from you.