Shades of Blue
WHAT DOES IT REALLY TAKE TO MAKE A PAIR OF JEANS?
MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION USES 3,000+ LITERS OF WATER & APPROXIMATELY 6 POUNDS OF CHEMICALS TO PRODUCE ONE PAIR OF JEANS.
Denim production is a water, chemical, and labor intensive task. Here are a few things to be aware of:
SOURCE
Denim is made mostly out of cotton. It takes about 20,000 liters of water to produce 2.2 pounds of cotton - which is roughly equivalent to 1 shirt and a pair of jeans. Cotton is prone to pests which makes it one of the most chemically intensive crops in the world, using insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. When these pesticides are sprayed onto crops, the chemicals leach into the ground, causing soil degradation, making it challenging for agriculture, and polluting the groundwater.
DESIGN
To achieve the “denim look”, factories use chemical washing, which consists of synthetic indigo, along with other chemicals such as potassium permanganate to create shades of blue and black vat dyes.
Denim is then high-pressure blasted with concoctions of sand, lead, paint, and silica to create a “distressed” denim effect. Exposure to these airborne chemicals can cause cough, irritation to the eyes, skin, nausea, vomiting, and can potentially lead to respiratory illnesses.
DISPOSAL
Waste in the form of liquid and sludge are typically disposed into waterways surrounding the factories, harming wildlife, hindering agriculture, polluting the earth’s water supply, causing devastating health problems, and altering the earth’s ecosystem as a whole. Textile scraps are often improperly disposed of, left in large piles to decompose. When textiles decompose, a greenhouse gas called methane (one of the most potent gases contributing to global warming) is emitted into the air, along with chemicals from the dyes which leach out contaminating the surface and groundwater.
FACTORIES/LABOR
The conditions of many garment factories in third-world countries are typically dingy, squalid, noisy and overcrowded. Due to lack of investment in the facilities, safety and fire hazards are not uncommon. Factories have little-to-no ventilation, leading to poor indoor air quality. The job often requires physical exposure to harmful chemicals, in which workers are not provided the proper protective gear. Many garment employees work up to 15 hours per day, with below standard living wages, no health benefits, and very little time off. Some garment factories offer substandard living facilities onsite.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1 | Do your research on brands before buying. Look for GOTS certification, 100% organic cotton, natural dyes, and recycled materials.
2 | Vote with your wallet and encourage change. Discourage brands from using poor clothing production practices by intentionally choosing not to buy their products.
3 | Educate your friends and influence a new trend towards responsible fashion!
“As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy. ”