The Eco-Friendly Denim Shopping Guide

In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re big fans of the three Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), plus one more–repair! Denim Therapy can help you extend the life of your jeans, but if you’re looking to buy some eco-friendly denim, we’ve also got you covered. Here are six awesome brands doing their best to help the environment:

M2F

With colored denim being such a big hit this season, it’s especially cool that M2F created a dye bath that uses 50% less energy and water than traditional methods, while also eliminating commonly used toxic materials. Plus, their Made2Fade Technology Yarn is certified by the Swedish OEKO-TEX lab to be free of any harmful substances.

Pastel Skinny Jeans | Light Wash Skinny Jeans | Traveler Denim Jacket

 

G-Star RAW Sustainable

G-Star RAW Sustainable collection is not only made entirely out of organic cotton, which minimizes the use of harsh-on-Mother-Nature pesticides and other pollutants, G-Star also touts various sustainable operations practices, like reducing energy use and only using transportation companies that meet certain environmental standards.

Navy Shirt | Navy Pencil Skirt

Nudie Jeans

For spring/summer 2012, Nudie Jeans produced 43% of its garments from organic cotton, with the longer-term goal to amp that number up to 100%. As part of their larger efforts to reduce waste, their Post Recycle Dry program takes old Nudie jeans and makes them into new, limited edition pairs.

Thin Finn Organic Jeans | Grim Tim Organic Blue Fade Jeans

 

Levi’s Water<Less Jeans

Making jeans is a water-intensive process, and a lot of the environmental cost of production comes from water. Often, jeans are washed multiple times before we take ‘em home, but the Levi’s Water<Less Jeans finishing process uses up to 96% less water than usual. 172 million liters of water (and counting!) have been saved so far.

511 Skinny Jeans – 3D Coated | Modern Demi Curve Ankle Skinny Jeans

 

Edun

Perhaps you know Edun best in relation to its founders Ali Hewson and Bono, but the ethical clothing line isn’t simply a celeb pet project. The company focuses on fair wage and labor practices, and uses organic cotton to produce their line.

Indigo Denim Jacket | Denim Flares

 

Kuyichi

With jeans made from organic cotton, hemp, recycled wool, and more, Kuyichi prides itself in using eco-friendly and recycled fabrics, including natural dyes. Their full list of sustainable materials used is pretty informative as well, if you pride yourself in knowing the benefits of the alternative fabrics used.

Kuyichi Denim Pants | Kuyichi Denim Pants

—Brie Hiramine

Tags: denim shopping guide, eco friendly denim, eco-friendly jeans, Edun, G-Star Raw, Kuyichi, m2f, Nudie Jeans