If ever there was one piece of clothing that defined an era, it has to be the denim jean. They’ve gone through so many iterations; with one look at the cut of either the waist or leg, you can usually pinpoint the the decade with ease. And while the period of ultra-skinny and distressed jeans defined my teen years make me cringe, jeans are an undeniable staple in anyone’s wardrobe.
You can dress them up, down, or even alter them to better reflect your personality. And while most people see jeans as a low-effort article of clothing, they don’t seem to know how toxic the process of making them can actually be. Chemical dyes, sweatshop labor—in a world obsessed with the consumer economy, it can be hard to find jeans that defy the fast fashion model. Denim has a reputation as one of the environmentally dirtiest materials to produce, so combatting the unsustainable industry standards means tackling multiple points of interest in its manufacturing.
To help you shop more sustainably, here’s a list of 9 companies changing the narrative around denim and its impact on the planet.
where to buy sustainable jeans
ÉTICA
Denim and apparel brand ÉTICA is super transparent about their values as a company. Each of their products includes sustainability notes, such as water usage, which fabrics are recycled, and their low impact wash process.
Boyish
LA-based Boyish has the sustainability game down on lock. They source their materials from recycled and deadstock fabric as well as certified organic cotton. They also utilize plant-based dyes and ethical washing practices—cold water, ozone washing—to close the loop on their manufacturing process.
Baukjen
Based in London, Baukjen boasts an impressive and prolific approach to sustainability. The company uses a range of Tencel and viscose blended eco-friendly fabrics, as well as materials sourced through recycling and upcycling. For anyone interested, their Sustainability Index on their site includes video walkthroughs of their approach to global warming, water usage, and more.
Universal Standard
Size inclusive brand Universal Standard offers denim in an impressive range of sizes, inseams, and styles. There you’ll find a lot more options than with most of the other brands listed. That said, their jeans do contain polyester, so it’s not the most sustainable from a textile perspective.
Outerknown
Outerknown ensures the sustainability of its jeans with a lifetime guarantee meant to keep older jeans out of landfills. The company offers to repair, replace, or recycle their S.E.A. jeans, and has a portion of their site dedicated to a seller’s market where anyone can list their pre-loved clothing to give them a new home as well.
Lucy & Yak
For anyone who wants jeans with pizzaz, Lucy & Yak has cornered the market in fun overalls and bottoms made from certified organic cotton and recycled or closed loop fabrics. Their fun colors and patterns come from certified non-toxic dyed that adhere to Oeko-Tex and GOTS standards.
E.L.V. Denim
High end denim brand E.L.V. sources all of its denim from unwanted post-consumer waste fabric, and brands itself a zero-waste company that has the lowest carbon footprint possible. They only use 7 liters of water throughout their whole manufacturing process, and repurpose any leftover denim into art used in their stores and pop-up locations.
ABLE
Nashville-based ABLE sources all of their denim from the western hemisphere to reduce the carbon footprint of shipping materials. Their manufacturing process recycles 100% of the water used, and denim scraps are given to the government for housing insulation.
Nudie Jeans
Nudie’s 100% organic cotton jeans, available for both men and women, come with a guarantee of free repairs for however long you own them. There are repair centers in a handful of countries (US included), or you can order kits online. Each listing also features transparency notes, so you can dig deeper into their manufacturing process. They’re based in Sweden but available worldwide.
