Today, everyone wears them. But what we don't know is that to make just one pair of jeans, liters of water and toxic products are used. It is indeed one of the most polluting garments to produce, and we often change it even though it is durable. To fully understand its impact, one must know its life cycle.
The life cycle of a pair of jeans involves many stages:
- the cultivation of raw materials: cotton fibers
- spinning
- weaving
- manufacturing
- sale
- use and maintenance by the consumer
- recycling or disposal at the end of life
One must also understand the impact of transportation; the journeys of materials from one continent to another are responsible for a significant carbon footprint for each item we wear daily. It is estimated that a denim garment can travel up to 65,000 km before ending up in our wardrobes.
If you've ever been to a thrift store or clothing bank, you know very well that they are overflowing with the enormous quantity of jeans available. It is for all these reasons that I have created accessories where recycled jeans are featured. You can discover them here.
Now that I've explained the negative aspects of jeans, I wanted to share some tips for consuming them better. I often repeat this, but the least polluting garment is always the one that already exists. If, like me, you aspire to be part of the change, remember that buying is voting. So, by buying second-hand, you contribute to not increasing the demand for textile production. However, there are more and more industries that are committed to offering a less polluting new product, so some jeans are considered more eco-responsible than others. It's easy to find companies that offer this alternative by doing a Google search, so you can use your purchasing power to support a company that uses less water or manufactures from recycled materials.
