Becky Striepe
We’ve talked about denim’s planetary impact and even explored some eco-friendly denim options before, so you can imagine how happy I was to run across a new company offering Earth friendly denim!
Why Denim Matters
Denim production is seriously tough on the environment. Conventional denim is made from pesticide-laden cotton – one of the most sprayed crops in the world.
Not only is the fabric a problem, but all of that dye has a huge impact. This CNN report highlights the enormous impact that the denim industry has had on China’s Pearl River:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFnP13l0AC0&feature=player_embedded
Clariant Advanced Denim
That’s where companies like Clariant come in. Clariant Advanced Denim uses 92% less water and 30% less energy to produce denim fabric that wastes 87% less cotton than its conventional counterparts.
The company uses indigo free dyes, which is huge. Indigo is a large part of what contaminated the Pearl River. Their dye process produces a fraction of the waste, and unlike conventional denim dyes, the waste water they produce is sulfite free. The process also adheres to stringent US and international standards for textiles.
While their waste reduction and dye processes are admirable, I would love to see Clariant switch over to organic cotton for their denims. Conventional cotton is genetically modified, which means its production supports big agriculture firms like Monsanto. It’s also responsible for 10% of the world’s pesticide use and 25% of the insecticides. That’s a huge amount of chemicals!
So what do you think? Do Clariant’s benefits outweigh the costs? Would you use it in your denim craft projects?
[Image Credit: Photos via Clariant]
Thanks for the great blog-post. Let us know if you wish to get further information about our new technology.
For clarification; Clariant does not make denim, it makes chemicals used in the various stages of the denim production process.
Aha! Thanks for clarifying.
Not to be an uber hippie here, but what’s wrong with old jeans from thrift stores? Especially if you’re using them for craft projects then you only need to worry about finding a pair with enough fabric.