<p><em>Sustainable futures aren&#39;t just about denim; they&#39;re about how the entire consumer behavior is viewed from a product lifecycle perspective.</em></p>

<p data-start="416" data-end="1071" style="text-align: justify;">Sustainability is now considered one of the biggest concerns in the fashion industry. Brands are collectively setting goals, outlining plans and investing in research with the aim of reducing resource waste. However, for consumers, sustainable fashion remains a rather elusive concept, as it is often discussed in broad statements rather than specific choices.</p>
<p data-start="416" data-end="1071" style="text-align: justify;">In this article, we choose jeans as our starting point because they are the most familiar item and also the product that most clearly reveals the contradictions of sustainable fashion. Jeans are produced in large quantities, are closely associated with daily wear habits, and have a long lifespan. When looking at denim, from the raw materials to the processing, the sustainability story becomes more concrete and it also presents clear choices that consumers can start with their next pair of jeans.</p>

<h3 data-start="1078" data-end="1133" style="text-align: center;">How much resources does jeans production consume?</h3>
<p data-start="1135" data-end="1578" style="text-align: justify;">Jeans frequently appear on lists of the most water-intensive fashion items. Cotton already requires a lot of water to grow, and the process of making a pair of jeans, from dyeing the fabric with a series of dyes and chemicals to the repeated washing to achieve the desired colour, is no less water-intensive.</p>
<p data-start="1580" data-end="2132" style="text-align: justify;">Familiar techniques like distressing or fading actually require more complex dyeing and washing processes. Paul Dillinger, Vice President of Global Product Innovation at Levi Strauss &amp; Co., has acknowledged that the company's product lifecycle studies, as well as many others, have documented the enormous amounts of water, energy, and chemicals typically used in denim production.</p>
<p data-start="2134" data-end="2632" style="text-align: justify;">Esther Knight, founder of the sustainable fashion brand Fanfare Label, also stated that jeans are one of the least sustainable products on the market. Citing data from Fashion Revolution, she said that producing just one pair of jeans and one t-shirt requires approximately 10,000 litres of water, not including the chemicals used for dyeing the fabric.</p>

<h3 data-start="2876" data-end="2917" style="text-align: center;">Practical steps in the sustainable denim story.</h3>
<p data-start="2919" data-end="3301" style="text-align: justify;">Levi's, one of the biggest names in the denim industry, has developed a sustainable product line called Wellthread and launched the "Buy Better, Wear Longer" program. The program's message is to buy less, choose more carefully, and wear longer. Instead of stockpiling many identical pairs of jeans, consumers are encouraged to reconsider their actual needs.</p>
<p data-start="3303" data-end="3729" style="text-align: justify;">Levi's also established specific regulations regarding water usage in production. Factories were required to recycle at least 20 per cent of their water usage to reduce waste. Simultaneously, air conditioning and lighting systems in the factories were gradually replaced with more energy-efficient equipment. Given its scale and influence, Levi's understood that any adjustments, even if not radical, could have a ripple effect.</p>
<h3 data-start="3736" data-end="3788" style="text-align: center;">Four factors to consider when buying sustainable denim.</h3>
<p data-start="3790" data-end="3951" style="text-align: justify;"><strong data-start="3790" data-end="3837">Traceability</strong><br data-start="3837" data-end="3840" />Buyers need to know where the clothing comes from and under what conditions it was produced, rather than just looking at the label.</p>
<p data-start="3953" data-end="4095" style="text-align: justify;"><strong data-start="3953" data-end="3978">Materials</strong><br data-start="3978" data-end="3981" />It's important to understand what a product is made from and how those materials affect the environment throughout its lifecycle.</p>
<p data-start="4097" data-end="4243" style="text-align: justify;"><strong data-start="4097" data-end="4129">Service life (Longevity)</strong><br data-start="4129" data-end="4132" />It's better to invest in products that will last a long time, rather than buying many items that wear out quickly, only to end up buying more again.</p>
<p data-start="4245" data-end="4384" style="text-align: justify;"><strong data-start="4245" data-end="4277">Circularity</strong><br data-start="4277" data-end="4280" />Consider whether the product can be recycled or reused after it is no longer wearable.</p>

<h3 data-start="172" data-end="248" style="text-align: center;">Why is traceability important for sustainable shopping?</h3>
<p data-start="250" data-end="829" style="text-align: justify;">Kathleen Talbot, Director of Sustainability at Reformation, argues that supply chain traceability is the only way for consumers to truly know what they're paying for and how sustainably that product is produced. When information is limited to attractive labels or vague descriptions, consumers are essentially buying on trust. Conversely, when materials are transparent from the start, the power truly lies in the buyer's hands, not just in the brand's marketing message.</p>
<p data-start="831" data-end="1341" style="text-align: justify;">Traceability is also directly related to the people behind the product. It allows brands to see more clearly the entire production chain, from where the raw materials are sourced, the types of fibres used, the materials and dyes used, to the working conditions of the people involved in that process. Without traceability, the supply chain becomes a blind spot. And when that blind spot exists, the brand cannot assert sustainability, nor can it responsibly correct mistakes when problems arise.</p>

<h3 data-start="1348" data-end="1410" style="text-align: center;">How can you choose sustainable products without being manipulated?</h3>
<p data-start="1412" data-end="1909" style="text-align: justify;">One of the reasons sustainable purchasing is so difficult is the prevalence of "greenwashing." This is the phenomenon where businesses use environmental themes to mask other problems, or simply to appear more responsible than they actually are.</p>
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<p data-start="0" data-end="131" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" style="text-align: justify;">Kathleen Talbot points out that appealing keywords like "natural" or "biodegradable" <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: justify;">are often used in a way that makes a product appear more sustainable than it actually is. In other words, not everything that sounds green is actually green.</span></p>
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<p data-start="1911" data-end="2283" style="text-align: justify;">To avoid falling into that trap, Esther Knight, founder of the sustainable fashion brand Fanfare Label, offers the practical suggestion of looking at certifications. When a brand says it uses organic cotton, the product needs to be certified by GOTS <em data-start="61" data-end="185">(Global Organic Textile Standard, a global standard for organic textiles, controlling everything from raw materials to production processes)</em> or OCS <em data-start="199" data-end="276">(Organic Content Standard, confirming the organic fibre content in a product)</em>. Without these certifications, traceability is almost entirely just talk.</p>
<p data-start="2285" data-end="2600" style="text-align: justify;">Similarly, GRS <em data-start="394" data-end="516">(Global Recycled Standard)</em> certification helps confirm that the recycled material content in a product has been monitored and verified by a third party. These certifications don't automatically make a product perfect, but at least they show that the brand is willing to let its claims be checked.</p>

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<h3 data-start="2607" data-end="2661" style="text-align: center;">When technology becomes part of sustainability</h3>
<p data-start="2663" data-end="3058" style="text-align: justify;">Sustainable futures aren't just about denim; they're about how the entire consumer behaviour is viewed through the product lifecycle. When both brands and consumers genuinely care about this, choices like trusting certifications, buying second-hand items, or investing in high-quality, handcrafted products become concrete contributions, rather than just slogans.</p>
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<p data-start="0" data-end="512" style="text-align: justify;">Levi's&reg; Made in Japan Spring/Summer 2024 collection is a compelling example. The collection uses premium red selvedge denim produced by the KAIHARA factory in Hiroshima. And instead of maintaining its colour like a sealed surface, the denim is allowed to change over time and with wear, just as jeans are meant to function. In this case, sustainability isn't about how much the brand talks, but about the product being made seriously enough to have a reason to continue being worn, rather than being quickly replaced.</p>
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Inside Sustainable Denim: How to Read the Signs That Matter

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