Sustainable fashion is intended towards better and bigger ecological integrity. The rise of popular sustainable clothing brands is strong evidence that there is greater awareness of environmental degradations, their reasons, and possible solutions by apparel makers.

To acknowledge this effort, fashion brands were awarded in the first-ever Marie Claire UK Sustainability Awards 2021. Judged by a panel of over 40 of the world’s leading experts in sustainability, the awards beamed limelight on the achievements of a diverse range of industries to show the positive impact that different types of brands and businesses can have on the environment.

These fashion innovators rightly affirm to the world that fashion can be incorporated without causing harm to our planet.

Here’s a glance at all the Sustainability fashion winners.

1.BEST SUSTAINABLE JEANS

Winner: unspun

The brand preludes the next generation denim by providing first of its kind custom-fitted denim collection with the use of AI and 3D modeling.

The made-to-measure concept of the jeans helps the brand cut out excess waste thus reducing the industry’s emissions by 30 %. The brand hopes to reduce these emissions further to 20% through long-term committed circularity.

Unspun jeans are made from 100 % organic cotton and are easily recyclable. The ‘out of the box ’ operating scenario of the brand makes it the future of sustainable denim fashion.

 “unspun jeans are custom-made to order, meaning that not only are they hugely inclusive – they use a 3D body scan to ensure jeans fit your body – but they cut waste, as no pair is created without a home.” Says MC‘s Digital Fashion Editor Penny Goldstone.

2.Best for Carbon Footprint

Winner: Allbirds

Allbirds believes that the environmental crisis can’t be tackled by a single brand alone rather it requires the consolidated efforts of everyone in the fashion industry.  In 2019, the brand achieved complete carbon neutrality. This was made possible by following a three-step agenda: measuring carbon impact, reducing and replacing it with natural alternative material and at last spurring out whatever is left through verified emission reduction projects.

Allbirds became the first fashion brand to have labeled carbon footprints for its products. The brand also open-sourced its carbon footprints tech via FreeTheFootprint.com which is freely accessible by other fashion brands too.

“The integrity of this work is clear and exemplary, and the sharing of methodology to encourage others is a great practice too,” says Dilys Williams, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion.

3.Best Ethical Brand

Winner: Birdsong

The UK-based fashion brand, Birdsong operates on the ideology of empowering women and creating fashion that is inclusive, dignified, and transformative for local economies. 80% of the garment workers employed by the brand are women who are talented migrants, refugees, and survivors of domestic abuse. It is the only brand in the UK that nurtures local communities and marginalized women. Despite incurring constant loss in sales due to pandemic, the brand’s sustainable impact was consistent and unchangeable. To manage their ecological impact, the brand produces clothes only after the client’s order.

“Instead of outsourcing work to sweatshops, the brand works with migrant and refugee women, and survivors of domestic abuse in a notoriously poor area. All orders are packed by adults with learning disabilities in Camden, providing vital employment to those in need.”  Says Penny Goldstone, Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire.

4.Best Progress Towards Circularity

Winner: Baukjen

The main aim of the brand is to disrupt the fast fashion industry. Baukjen’s 92 percent of products are made from fibre sources that are both natural and biodegradable. Organic cotton is widely used and synthetic fibres are curtailed to the usage of about 10 percent only. The brand also works on a zero-waste approach and recycles 90 percent of its textile waste. Recycled garments are also sent for charitable purposes. Currently, it is working on digital traceability of garments, enabling customers to trace their product’s journey from design to material.

5.Best Re-commerce

Winner: Thrift+

Thrift+ is a second-hand clothing platform that ensures clothes are not discarded but resold. The brand processes more than 300,000 clothing items each month and displays around 100,000 items on its site at any time. The platform makes reselling clothes a trouble-free process by three major steps- sellers have to order an eco-friendly bio-plastic thrift bag, fill it up and return it for free. Since its launch in 2017, the brand has diverted more than 150,000 clothes from ending up in landfills.

5.Best Rental Brand – Womenswear

Winner: Rotaro

Rotaro is a cult label fashion rental company that disrupts the UK fashion landscape by making fashion more circular to the consumers. The brand focuses on extending the lifespan of garments, mobilizing unsold stock, gaining revenue, and reaching a new audience. Sustainability is foundational to everything that the brand delivers. To lower its impact on the environment, it works with a carbon-neutral delivery partner, uses zero-waste reusable garment bags, and promises to plant a tree for every rental supplied.

“Rotaro’s offering has great potential to invoke behavior change, given its focus on culturally relevant fashion and its eye for brands. I see the brand attracting fashion enthusiasts who are not already subscribed to a ‘responsible fashion mindset’.” Says Sustainability Awards judge Emma Slade Edmondson.

6.Best Rental Brand – Kids wear

Winner: thelittleloop

thelittleloop is the UK’s first rental marketplace for kids’ clothing that encourages parents to adopt clothing as an everyday lifestyle choice. The brand has revolutionized the conventional shopping experience by starting its business with reusable mailing bags and then turning them into a full-fledged re-sale platform. Altogether, it accomplishes sustainability, convenience, style, and value to help both parents and the planet.

The Sustainability Awards judges were highly impressed with thelittleloop’s innovative and easy solution to the often-overlooked problem of fast-fashion kidswear.

7.Best Sustainable Fabric

Winner: SPINNOVA

SPINNOVA incorporates a ground-breaking way of making textile fibre without using harmful chemicals. SPINNOVA takes cellulose, “nature’s most brilliant building material” and aligns it in an impeccable way to make a soft textile fibre that can be as warm as wool. This ideology of the brand is inspired by how spiders weave their webs. This biodegradable fibre does not emit any microplastics and can be recycled repeatedly without losing its strength. The brand aims at compostability and biodegradability, thus optimizing the maximum usage of plant-based inputs in its fabric.

8.Best Sustainable High Street Brand

Winner: [R E S E T]

[R E S E T] emphasizes inclusive clothing culture and opposes mainstream fashion notoriety. It helps people with disabilities gain confidence and independence by making clothes with features, designs, prints, and colors to feel comfortably fashioned. Directed towards the convergence between style and accessibility, the brand seeks to become a voice for the differently-abled on the high street.

“[R E S E T] is doing the important work of bringing accessibility and inclusivity into the fashion industry. Its innovative design thinking shows how clothing can actively improve lives by providing differently-abled people with clothes that best support their needs, as well as with an avenue for self-expression.” Says Sustainability Awards judges Noëlla Coursaris Musunka.

These fashion winners not only surpass the expectations of the Sustainability awards but also hold a victory at establishing a better tomorrow in the fashion industry. The brands give us a glance at a fashion that is guilt-free and ecologically thoughtful. Fashion brands and even Consumers need to think about how their purchase affects the environment, the lifecycle of their garment, and how to invest in clothes that last longer. Sustainability is a long shot and thus demands collaborative efforts of both brands and conscious consumers.

Lululemon Athletica Inc., the luxury athletic apparel brand, recently announced its collaboration with Biotechnology company LanzaTech, to produce the world’s first fabric with the use of recycled carbon emissions that would otherwise get released into the atmosphere as pollution. The carbon-capture experts and the high-end athleisure curator have fabricated a waste-gas-based polyester with the same appearance, advent, and properties of virgin polyester.

LanzaTech – a New Zealand startup – uses nature-based solutions to make ethanol out of waste carbon sources and is partnering with different companies around the world including India Glycols Limited (IGL) and Taiwanese Far Eastern New Century(FENC) to transform ethanol into the polyester. Recycling carbon is a foundational element of the circular economy, which keeps fossil carbon in the ground, abating pollution and fossil fuel utilization when used to produce polyester. With a decreased carbon footprint, this innovation could remold Lululemon’s products and the apparel industry.
The technology innovated by the company is compared to that of a brewery; instead of using yeast for traditional fermentation, industrial carbon waste is converted into fuels and chemicals by bacteria. The technology also holds great promise for the denim industry as polyester is one of the important fibers used in the denim products.

“We must radically change how we source, utilize and dispose of carbon. Carbon recycling enables companies like Lululemon to continue to move away from virgin fossil resources, bring circularity to their products, and achieve their climate change goals around carbon reduction. We call this being ‘CarbonSmart.’” Says Jennifer Holmgren, CEO, LanzaTech.

The biotech company claims that the ethanol so produced comes from a steel mill in China, where carbon monoxide is fermented and converted into ethanol. The company has worked with a chemical partner called India Glycols Limited to turn ethanol into mono ethylene glycol (MEG), a chemical normally made from fossil fuels. Another partner, the textile manufacturer Far Eastern New Century, used the MEG to make polyester. When made into Lululemon’s fabric, it’s the same as the one made from fossil fuels.

HOW IS THE FABRIC MADE?

According to LanzaTech, carbon is captured from various feedstocks, including synthetic gas, industrial emissions, agricultural waste, household waste, and other sources of carbon that have already been emitted into the atmosphere. These carbon molecules are then transformed into ethanol with the help of micro-organisms developed by them. The ethanol and other base ingredients thus produced are eventually converted into the resultant fabric, that is, polyester.
This synthetic material provides the comfort, breathable wear, flattering shape, and fit that is necessary for athleisure clothes. This sustainable substitution of using carbon emissions instead of virgin petroleum or fossil fuel to produce polyester helps maintain ecological balance.

“Since initially connecting LanzaTech’s Taiwanese joint-venture set up with a pilot plant in Taiwan, I believed this waste-gas-based polyester formation would be a sustainable solution for the polyester industry. We are happy to team up with IGL and Lululemon to complete the supply chain for this historical project and continue working with LanzaTech towards our common goal for a better Earth,” says Dr. Fanny Liao, Executive Vice President of RD at FENC.
Lululemon hasn’t yet announced which products the fabric so produced may be used in. But by partnering with LanzaTech at a prompt stage, Lululemon is helping move the technology forward.
Polyester fiber is one of the most prevalent synthetic fibers that usually uses petroleum-based feedstock. LanzaTech worked with Taiwanese textile manufacturer FENC to manufacture the ‘TOPGREEN Bio3-PET’ fiber which was made from LanzaTech’s ethanol. This initiative shows FENC’s and Lululemon’s dedication to sustainable innovation. Likewise, LanzaTech has also partnered with Unilever Pvt Limited to manufacture laundry detergent using recycled carbon emissions named OMO that has been rolled out in India.

WHAT LED TO THIS BIG STEP TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY?

In October 2020, Lululemon published its first Impact Agenda, silhouetting its strategies to tackle social and environmental issues with 12 goals to drive progress. The partnership with LanzaTech is one of the many ways Lululemon is directed on bringing new technologies into operation.

Lululemon Impact Agenda

The Impact Agenda is the company’s stake in the ground towards an equitable and sustainable future. Developed through internal and external engagement, it is rooted in the social and environmental contexts in which it operates and the societal issues that matter most for the business and industry. This agenda outlines the company‘s commitments to improve environmental impact, contribute to a healthier future, and create long-term value.
“We know sustainable innovation will play a key role in the future of retail and apparel, and we are excited to be at the forefront of innovative technology. Our partnership with LanzaTech will help Lululemon deliver on our Impact Agenda goals to make 100 per cent of our products with sustainable materials and end-of-use solutions, moving us toward a circular ecosystem by 2030,” says Ted Dagnese, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Lululemon.

This environmentally benign innovation will set new parameters for other brands to optimize resources with more replaceable and recyclable methods, thus contributing to a better future of the apparel industry.These are in themselves great steps and could become incomparable if the recyclability of the post consumer products created with such polyester could be somehow ensured – specially for the denim industry which is really focusing hard of post consumer wastes. We are perhaps waiting for that great technology news about easy extraction and recyclability of polyester .

As an incentive, J.crew is offering a $20 for a new pair of jeans for every pair brought in for recycling.As compared to the other such brands like Rag & Bone which only offer a minimal discount, it is a very generous contribution towards recycling. This partnership with Habitat For Humanity comes with the expansion of the environmentally friendly Eco jeans collection by J.Crew.To donate, the customers are needed to just turn in their gently worn denims to the J.Crew or Madwell sstores nearby.

“Our denim recycling program allows us to help our customers dispose of waste responsibly by giving their jeans a new life in the form of housing insulation and keeping them out of landfills,” said Gonzalo Pertile, director of corporate social responsibility at J.Crew.“This is one of the steps we’re taking as we embark in our sustainability journey. We believe that some challenges require strong partnerships to make the most meaningful impact.”

J.Crew is certainly following the trend for minimal amount of waste generations.A win – win situation for all , this program benefits everyone by donating the jeans for $20 and that too form any brand that will eventually leads in the prevention of throwing the used jeans as a waste. J.Crew’s effort for charity and upcycling denim for a good cause is certainly admirable.

image:J.Crew

P R O S P E R I T Y

As a large-scale denim fabric manufacturer with 80 million yards capacity, Prosperity Textile is dedicated to push for sustainable development in denim since founded in 1999, focusing on eco material, green energy and clean production. According to them , In 2017, 20% of their product sales were from sustainable collections, and they have developed a wide range of eco-friendly products, from sustainable cotton to TENCELâ„¢ Lyocell and from recycled polyester to water/chemical-less dyeing, RE+INVENT denim collection.

One of the latest highlights, they are adding recycled cotton to promote the circular economic idea, which is also certified with Recycled Content Standard. They mention that they manage to keep the original blue color of the recycled stuffs, weaving this yarn in the weft, which exhibits super-nice blue faded cast too. Truly vintage and easy-to-identify the recycled concept. And for the dyes they use CARMINE BLUE, which is their signature free-of-hydrosulfite dyeing technology with pre-reduce liquid indigo.

Prosperity further mentions that in Jul 2016, they have successfully connected a 218 KW solar system on the rooftop of our warehouse to the grid, in 25 years, the average annual electricity generation is 190,000 kWh, reducing CO2 emissions by 198 tons a year. They are also expecting to install another 2 MW solar projects in coming years, to cover more energy use with clean energy.

According to Prosperity Textile, they are also acting as a pioneer and choosing the first sustainable innovation in the weaving industry: the brand-new iSAVERâ„¢ equipped on R95002denim by Itema, for its newly-opened denim mill in Vietnam. This new technology is able to completely eliminate the left-hand weft waste, allowing to insert the weft yarns in the fabric without the need of additional yarns. iSAVERâ„¢ significantly reduces raw material waste, leading to tangible benefits in terms of machine’s efficiency, cost reduction and energy saving. The company mentions that this is for the first time a sustainable solution in weaving equipments has been implemented saving 1000 Kg of cotton per machine per year – about 3% of the total raw materials .

As a result, while the total denim production output at Prosperity Textile in 2017 was increased by 20% to 2016, they claim that they have successfully managed to reduce the GHG emission per meter by 5.4%, water and electricity consumption was also down by 11.5% and 7.9% respectively, per meter.

The company is emphatic in its commitment to sustainability and concludes :

“Prosperity Textile is committed to sustainability development, and closely works with many third-party certification institutions to make sure the claims of our production and products are true and accurate. We have been awarded the certifications of ISO 9001, 14001, Oeko-Tex® 100, OCS, RCS, Textile Security Label, etc., and are also the members of LYCRA EXCHANGE, BCI, COTTON LEADS and SAC. In Apr 2015, Prosperity received the awards of Top 5 in energy reduction of CLEAN by Design 2014 from Natural Resources Defense Council and World Bank. And in 2016, Prosperity Textile became the first Chinese denim mill joining bluesign® system”

The next article in sustainability series would be published soon !

1.H&M is now the biggest user of sustainable cotton and man-made cellulosic materials globally. It must have been an uphill task. What did it take to reach here?

This has been a journey that has evolved during the years and we have become more ambitious along the way. We believe that a company of our size and scale has a responsibility as well as an opportunity to lead the change towards a more sustainable fashion and design industry. We started in the 90s to use organic cotton and back in 2010 we went one step further setting our goal to only use sustainably sourced cotton by 2020. A few years back we set the high ambition to become fully circular and renewable which includes, among many other things, our aim to only use recycled or other sustainably sourced materials by 2030. Since our circular approach takes the whole value chain into consideration, from design, materials, production, process, use, reuse and recycle, we have also worked with setting concrete actions in each area. From how to design for circularity to how to improve our water and chemical management.

2. Congratulations on creating the ambitious goal of using only sustainably sourced materials by 2030. How feasible will this be considering the huge number of suppliers you have globally?

In 2017 already 35% of our total material was sustainable sourced materials, so we are fully committed that we will achieve it. The reality we face today is that shifting from a linear to a circular business model is challenging, mainly due to lack of technology to make recycling fully scalable. That´s way we are actively investing in innovation to overcome this challenge, as it will play a key role to reach our 2030 goal. Of course, we need to have our committed suppliers onboard on this journey to succeed. All our commercial business partners have signed our sustainability commitment and share our vision. Since we are present in our sourcing markets, that gives us a unique position to have daily contact with our suppliers, which helps us to build long-term relationships with them.

3.Cotton is your largest input material. We understand in 2017 about 59% of it was from sustainable sources like BCI, Organic etc. What % currently cotton forms in your total usage of materials. Do you see that there will be a further growth in this share as you move the path of sustainability?

Yes, we see a growth within these materials (organic cotton, recycle cotton and BCI cotton) since it is the material we use the most. Our goal is as mentioned for all our cotton to come from sustainable sources by 2020. H&M group is , according to Textile exchange , the biggest user of sustainable cotton which includes, organic, recycled, and cotton from BCI.

4. Renewable energy is another front where many global players are focusing on. Is this aspect under your radar too. Can you enlighten us on the same?

We have set an ambitious goal to become climate positive by 2040, and we have identified 3 main areas to achieve it, where renewable energy and energy efficiency are two of them (third being climate resilience). To become climate positive means that we will remove more emissions from the atmosphere than we are responsible for creating. Ways of reaching our goal is for example:

1. Sourcing only 100 % renewable electricity in our own operations. In 2017, 96% of all the electricity used in our stores, offices and warehouses came from renewable sources.
2. We are expanding production of renewable electricity through windmills and solar panels on warehouses as well as IT data centers.
3. We have invested in GO2 – an innova­tive project that bundles the cost of our renewable energy usage with a contribution to new renewable energy supply.

5. There are varied versions and interpretations of sustainability. How do you define sustainability?

By definition, sustainability means to lead your business in a way so you meet the needs of present and future generations, using the resources responsibly. It is all about using materials that decrease the dependence on virgin resources, require less chemicals, energy and water and minimize the amount of materials that ends up as waste. It is also about being a fair and equal company.

6. Supply chain side has seen great improvements over the last few years in terms of sustainability especially with the efforts of retailers like H&M. But there is the consumption side which again has a large environmental footprint. Do you think anything can be done on this front?

Yes we do, and one thing we can do as a company is to ensure that we create products that can be used for as long as possible and that our customers can care for them in a sustainable way. As an example, in spring 2018 H&M launched the “Take Care” project in Germany ( this will be rolled out in several markets ) It is an initiative that aims at helping customers prolong the life of their products, providing guidance, inspiration as well as services and products to refresh, repair and remake their clothes. H&M also has a global garment collecting initiative which means that our customers can bring unwanted textiles to our store, so we can give them new life by reusing or recycling them.

7.Sustainability still does not have a uniform and standardized way of measurement. Do you think in near future we can have a measurement tool or a score which can enable the consumer to gauge the sustainability of apparel products easily?

We support full customer transparency, we were among the first global fashion companies making its supplier list public and we are taking steps to provide more information on product level. On that note H&M fully supports the initiative to develop a consumer labelling system allowing the customers to compare products from a sustainability perspective, even from different brands, the Higg Index. With the Higg Index we hope that in the future there is a label available for customers that provide all sorts of information about a certain garment covering environmental as well as social aspects.

8.What changes you see in the denim supply chain over the next decade as there is increased consumer awareness about the environmental impacts of their jeans.

Denim production comes with some challenges, mainly due to the amount of water, energy and chemicals used. Since 2015, we have scored all our denim products using Jeanologia’s Environmental Impact Measurement tool. This third-party tool helps us and our suppliers measure, set targets and reduce water, energy and chemical use in our denim production. In 2017, 55 % of our denim products achieved “green “ level, which means they used a maximum of 35 liters of water per garment during the treatment processes.

9.Any other efforts on sustainability side which you might like to share with our readers.

We see that sustainability is a question for the whole fashion industry. H&M group are working on bringing partners together to identify challenges and share innovative ideas and solutions. We want to lead the change across our own operations and those of the industry and break new ground to improve the way our products are designed and made. We believe the best way to change the perception on the fashion industry is to lead by example and build awareness. Having a clear sustainability strategy, with concrete goals, road maps and actions, while being open and transparent on progress and challenges on the way.

Naveena Denim Mill , Pakistan (NDM)

The company stresses their efforts towards sustainability in their own words

“NDM has been making good efforts for safeguarding Environment, Natural Resources through Implementation of Sustainable Research Based Product Development and using Global accredited Compliance . The company believes Sustainability as an important factor of production to make sure that the world will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and environment. NDM has collaborated with Dystar & Archroma for sustainable dyes and Jeanologia for sustainable finishes which are certified by ISO.The processes involved reduces the amount of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases emitted into the air.”

They list out some of their sustainable inputs they use in their products :

• Repreve- A fiber made from recycled materials. Reduces energy consumption and conserves petroleum-based resources by offsetting the need to produce virgin synthetic fibers.
• Lenzing Modal®– A modal fiber from Lenzing, is naturally soft on the skin and ecological. The fiber is produced, using Edelweiss technology. Edelweiss stands for a “symbiotic” production process – pulp, the raw material, is produced at the same site as the Modal fiber itself. Thus production can be done while going easy on energy and other resources.
• BCI or Better Cotton Initiative– A multi-stakeholder initiative – from producer to retailer – who have decided to act together to reduce the damaging environmental and social consequences of cotton production and make the sector’s future more secure.
• Waste Recycling– NDM uses ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant) in dying processes which allows wasted water to be recycled and reused for dying, sizing, finishing and washing.Special recycled cotton yarn is used to manufacture fabric at NDM which is basically in the raw form.

Horizon : The Sustainable Fabric Production By NDM

Horizon is claimed to be an innovative and cutting-edge combination of eco-friendly dyeing and finishing processes . HORIZON combines Naveena’s existing Ecolean + Aqualter processes for dyeing and H2NO for finishing, reducing the event load while saving water, time and energy. As per Naveena, the process uses 81% less water, 40% less energy and %50 less steam compared to conventional process, it improves EIM score by 40%. It also uses less water dyeing for indigo colors with no salt formation.

HORIZON claims to guarantee no back-staining and improved crocking. The result is 95% sulphate reduction, 82% reduction in chemical oxygen demand and 95% total suspended solids.

Naveena describes the H2NO system :

“Designed in collaboration with Jeanologia, H2NO uses an eco-friendly technology that reproduces ozone gas conditions. The technology is a ground-breaking innovation for denim supply chain, since it uses ozone and requires no steam, chemical or water in the process. The technology conserves up to 90% water and energy. Using this new process, the mill saves 12 liters of water per jeans and saves 10 to 12 tonnes of chemicals annually. The technology improves the mill’s E.I.M. score by more than 40%. The result is cleaner fabric that requires fewer washes and that ultimately reduces brands’ costs. An advanced dyeing process designed to save our most valuable resource, “water”, Aqualter uses dramatically less water, energy and steam compared to conventional dyeing process. It uses up to 15% less energy, up to 90% less water and up to 80% less cotton waste while producing the same indigo effects.”

The company shares the following results of their sustainable system vs the conventional dyeing system.

The next article in this series would be published soon !

Let’s take a quick tour of this collection

W A T E R

To emphasize water’s singularity and to convey the utmost respect for this quintessential force of nature, the blue colorway of this collection is made with world’s first Cradle to Cradle Certifiedâ„¢ Gold G-Star Denim Fabric . This fabric is made from 100% organic cotton and supposedly features the cleanest indigo technology which uses 70% less chemicals, requires no salts and has no salt bi-product, thus leaving a clean and recyclable water effluent. A contemporary take on workwear style, this jacket offers strong detailing and a flawless fit. Shank button closures and multiple pockets bring functional undertones. The jacket features a blue colorway graphic patch drawing inspiration from the shades of water.

F a b r i c

This Jacket is cut from Cradle to Cradle Certifiedâ„¢ Gold G-Star Denim Fabric and as per G-Star , has the following characteristics.

• Developed with RFTPi-Raw for the Planet Indigo formulated in partnership with DyStar®, G-Star and Artistic Milliners.
• Raw for the Planet Indigo and uses 15% less indigo, 70% less chemicals, no salts, and produces no salt by-product during reduction and dyeing process. Consequently saving water and leaving clean and recyclable water effluent.
• 100% Organic Cotton
• 8 dip indigo
• 3×1 right hand twill construction with rich surface character. Mid weight 10.5 oz denim

D-Staq RFTP Water 3D Deconstructed Jacket

Spiraq RFTP Patches Water 3D Slim Jeans

E A R T H

Inspired by raw earth and the creatures that live on it, this colorway has been executed in raw organic cotton and has used no dye whatsoever, making the fabric sustainable and recyclable. The twill construction is made of 100% organic cotton yarns, completely undyed. Due to the untreated organic yarns, the garments receive an off-white hue with natural speckles unique to each garment.

F a b r i c

Inspired by the raw concept, Zelz Ecru Denim O has been stripped to its purest fundamental form. G-star says it has highly pronounced twill lines of Zelz Ecru Denim O give an impression of a tough and heavy surface, yet this base is a midweight denim with a soft hand feel thanks to the nature of the left hand twill construction.

• Digitally printed
• Undyed & untreated
• 100% Organic Cotton
• 3×1 left hand twill
• Mid-weight 10.5 oz

D-Staq RFTP Earth 3D Deconstructed Jacket

Spiraq RFTP Patches Earth 3D Slim Jeans

E C L I P S E

Zelz Black Denim O is first of its kind in the market. G-Star says its their most sustainable black denim due to holistic approach when it comes to the choice of fiber, black dyestuff, its transport, its packaging and the actual dye application.

F a b r i c

G-Star is emphatic about the qualities of this black denim. It was done in collaboration Archroma and Artistic Milliners.

• It features liquid dyestuff that leaves an easy to clean and recyclable water effluent.
• The black dye used in this denim is produced at Archroma’s ‘Zero Liquid Discharge’ sustainble manufacturing plant which is located near by Artistic Milliners.
• No chemical contact for workers, and no packaging drums and dye residues to dispose off.
• The dye application onto the fiber is done in a 5-step process compared to the conventional 8-10 steps.
• It saves 52% water, 65% energy, 71% CO2 and 14% chemicals compared to conventional black.
• 100% Organic Cotton
• 3×1 left hand twill, Mid-weight 10.5 oz

D-Staq RFTP Eclipse 3D Deconstructed Jacket

Spiraq RFTP Patches Eclipse 3D Slim Jeans

On the whole a great looking collection with sustainability as one of its core strengths. Check out the video for this collection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e0H7EPAr1k

Pic Courtesy : G Star Raw Website

AMA Herbal Laboratories in India has made a breakthrough in this regard. CEO Mr Yawer announces :

“We have made a breakthrough in the dyeing sector by presenting Bio Indigo® dye with Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for the first time. LCA is a scientific, analytic approach in calculating benefits that brands can get on a sustainable balance sheet by just switching to Bio Indigo® in denim production.”

Bio Indigo® dye is obtained from leaves of plant Indigofera tinctoria was commonly known as indigo which also exhibits medicinal properties. One of the major characteristics of the Indigo plant is that it is a legume and contributes in fertility to the soil. Many coconut farmers have reported higher yields in coconut water by planting Indigo in the periphery. It also acts as a nitrogen source when used as a compost.

Mr. Yawer further adds :

“Bio Indigo® dye comes in powder form and is certified on “GOTS Version-V”, and has “ZDHC”, “REACH” to its credit. Its Fastness properties, the process of dyeing and method of use remains same or at par with synthetic indigo. Many large denim mills form Turkey, India, Pakistan, China, Italy, and Japan are already using Bio Indigo® on their rope dyeing machines. Bangladesh Denim world is also showing a good response to the concept. Designers are loving Bio Indigo® for its greener cast and the kind of wash effect that it gives.”

Denim and indigo blue go hand in hand. Initially, all denim was made with Natural Indigo only but now Indigo is mainly produced synthetically. Synthetic indigo (another name – Indigotin, CAS no. 482-89-3) is produced through a chemical process and makes up for the majority of commercially produced indigo dye in the denim industry.

To support their claim of Bio Indigo® dye being a sustainable product as well as compare with Synthetic Indigo Dye, AMA Herbal Laboratories have evaluated its environmental impacts using Life Cycle Assessment approach as per ISO 14040/44 standard. AMA Herbal Laboratories entrusted Thinkstep Sustainability Solutions Pvt Limited, a subsidiary of Thinkstep AG, Germany for the LCA study of Bio Indigo® dye using GaBits Software system and Thinkstep Professional databases and services. The study helped evaluate the various environmental impacts of the Bio Indigo® dye and how it stands compared with the Synthetic Indigo Dye.

For dyeing of one kg of cotton yarn, synthetic dye consumption is lesser than natural indigo dye. Thus, to make a fair comparison, the functional unit was defined as one kg of dyed cotton yarn. The inventory used in the study consisted of all the production steps from indigo leaves produced in the farms to Bio Indigo® Dye production followed by its use in cotton yarn dyeing. For synthetic dye, similar system boundary i.e. the production of Synthetic indigo dye followed by its use in the cotton yarn dyeing was considered in the study.

Rope dyeing, being the most common technology for dyeing in the denim industry was considered. It consists of twisting the yarn into a rope then quickly dipped into Indigo baths. This dyeing technique is considered a superior dyeing technology where better dyeing uniformity is achieved.

Mr Yawer was very happy about the results achieved:

“Dyeing with our Bio Indigo® dye has 16% lesser acidification potential, the global warming potential was 9% lower, the primary energy demand was also 8% lower whereas the fresh water demand was 0.4 % higher. The difference in the positive impacts was in the range of 0.4%-23% for various environmental factors defining sustainability of denim.”

“Additionally, the study was used to compare environmental impacts for production of 1 kg of both the Dyes. Except for fresh water consumption, all the other environmental impacts are 10-100% lesser in case of Bio Indigo® Dye.”

He further explained about the difference regarding Bio Indigo® made by their company vs natural indigo available from other sellers :

” Natural Indigo has been primarily been made by the artisans based out of villages and small towns who grow the plant and extract the indigo . Due to their limitations, they are not able to give a standardized product on a commercial scale. Besides, it is also very difficult for them to control the usage of effluent and waste produced from such productions . AMA herbal is perhaps the first company to come out with a standardized natural indigo produce with specified discharges. We recover about 60% of the water used in the dye production while the rest is almost evaporated. The solid spent created from the production is used as bio-fuel and bio-fertilizer. Also, Traditional Natural Indigo contain various impurities, these impurities do not allow this product to run on Rope dyeing/slasher machine. Where as our Bio Indigo® is upgraded version that can run on rope/slasher without any problem. Natural indigo so manufacture is our Bio Indigo®. Also we are the first to have done a LCA of the produce and hence the sustainability experts can be reassured that they are getting a product with minimum impact on the environment.”

We were apprehensive of the high cost of natural indigo to which he replied :

“Bio Indigo® is more expensive than synthetic indigo. However, when we consider the cost of usage of synthetic indigo on environment and the additional cost which is applicable in case of many other sustainable processes, the usage of Bio Indigo® would come out much more feasible. Besides, with the latest increases in prices of sythetic indigo, the gap between the two has considerably reduced. “

AMA herbals summarized the results as follows:

• The impact contribution of dye production in both cases of dyed cotton yarn production is not more than 8-9% across various impact categories. The major impact contribution comes from the cotton yarn and energy consumption in rope dying process. Use of Bio Indigo® dye leads to impact reduction, from the credits, it generates as a raw material as well as utilization of dye wastewater in agriculture as a source of nitrogen.
• The impacts from dyes are highly dependent on the quantity of the dye required. Better utilization of Bio Indigo® dye will lead to further impacts reduction.
• This study provides Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) and Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) as regional averages (India) across the industry for dye manufacturing.
• Decisions, as well as the choice of modeling approaches and assumptions, can influence the results of LCA.
• Bio-diversity is not assessed in this study due to its limitations in the LCA methodology
• The decision should not be taken on toxicity parameters due to their high level of uncertainty. But when compared with Synthetic Indigo Dye, Bio Indigo® dye has lesser impacts for sure.

Bio Indigo® dye can provide denim brands and manufacturers with a sustainable solution of having lesser environmental impacts. In general, natural dyes have certain advantages over Synthetic dyes. Natural dyes are non-toxic, non-allergic and now one can say they have a reduced negative environmental impact than synthetic dyes. The water consumption can be reduced by engaging sustainable farming practices. AMA Herbal Laboratories will explore this area as the next step in their LCA journey. To become sustainable, fashion industry needs sustainable materials. Bio Indigo® dye thus promises in this endeavor.

Bio Indigo® available in powder form for Rope Dyeing

& Ready to use pigment form for coating and printing of textile.

AMA Herbal can be contacted at bioindigo@amaherbal.com or more information is available at www.amaherbal.com

ANUBHA INDUSTRIES

Anubha Industries Ltd is a part of the Pratibha Group of companies, having a history of over 30 years in textiles and manufacturing of fabric including Denim.Headquartered in Surat, with over 600 employees, the company manages the complete industrial chain, from fabric to finished product. Anubha Industries has invested in the state-of-the-art facilities equipped with rope dyeing, weaving, finishing, coating, printing and material testing facilities.

The company claims that they have an action plan that helps them to reduce energy consumption, its sources, negate waste generation even further in the processes, and minimize current eco-footprints while simultaneously balancing feasibility to do so. The company aims at using only clean chemistry in the entire process by responsible sourcing using Bluesign approved products. The company claims that this input stream management will restrict the entry of the harmful substances right at the beginning of the manufacturing process to achieve standards for an environmentally friendly and safe production. Further , This will ensure that the company’s products meet very stringent consumer safety requirements worldwide and also provide confidence to the consumer to acquire a sustainable product.

Let’s check out more details on what Anubha is doing !

Water Saving

Anubha Industries asserted that they have saved 627 million litres of fresh water over the last 3 years with their new suplhur dyeing method which cuts down a significant amount of water and energy used. The process REDUCES the water consumption to 3.5 litres/kg from12 litres/ kg and used for washing and oxidation process. The dyed products made from this process are made using eco-friendly sulphur dyes. The company has installed a state-of-the-art caustic recovery plant, in which, caustic – a valuable chemical, is recovered from the effluent drain of the mercerizing process. In this process 90 % of the caustic is recovered and is reused back in the process . The recovered water separated from caustic is reused in the process resulting in chemical and water savings for the environment.

The company claims to achieve high recovery of caustic by using ozonation of the effluent caustic, reverse osmosis technology and multi-effect evaporators. The ozonation process eliminates the contamination by oxidizing to sludge and filteration with coarse membranes & micron filters. The use of chemicals to clean up the caustic is eliminated. Conventionally, the contamination keeps getting accumulated and after a few cycles has to be discarded to effluent.The fresh water consumption for the whole unit includes water for drinking and cleaning purposes as well as water for the denim production processes. Their custom-designed counter flow system reuses the water used in the production process and results in ,as reported by the company, a considerable amount of process water savings over the year.

Energy Savings

So far as the energy is concerned , Anubha claims to save 32 million kWh of electricity over the last 3 years. The company has initiated a number of steps to REDUCE energy usage and eco-footprints, starting with optimisation of in-plant electrical power quality, installation of energy efficient lighting system, and machinery energy consumption is optimised by use of variable frequency drive systems and heat recovery systems in air compressors.State-of-the-art equipment installed includes steam condensate recovery system, flash steam recovery system and waste heat recovery system on boiler and thermopacs that ensures that the energy produced is REUSED after recovery. The heat recovery system installed on air compressors recovers waste heat from the compressor cooling.

Hot compressed air is cooled in heat exchangers by water. Hot water is generated (55o- 60o C) as an output of heat exchanger. In the conventional method of rejecting heat at the cooling tower causes loss of water in evaporation and consumption of power in cooling tower operations. Anubha says that their production unit has been consistently able to reduce energy consumptions to a diminutive amount of 1.05 KWH / MT of electricity and 0.68KG/MT of coal.

Waste Recycling

The company has introduced an advanced treatment system to REDUCE effluent generated and an eco-processing route that reduces the other waste obtained. The process includes the introduction of advanced treatment systems to reduce the effluent generated and an eco processing route that reduces the other waste obtained. The factory also maintains RESPONSIBLE LIQUID DISCHARGE by resorting to in-plant pre-treatment of effluent and ensuing further treatment involving sending effluents to CETP for wastewater management.The installation of a waste heat recovery system on the Stenter machine and the caustic recovery plant helps recover and reuse whatever energy and by-material that is generated.

This series will continue to part III and beyond . Check out the Part I here . For the latest updates , you can follow us on Facebook , Linkedin and Instagram

“Water is critical to nearly all aspects of our business, and we recognize the responsibility and the opportunity we have to reduce the amount of water used to create our products. Leveraging the power of product innovation and improved manufacturing practices, we can help ensure that our customers not only look great in their favorite jeans and t-shirts, but also feel good about how their purchases are helping to make a positive impact for communities and helping to tackle global water scarcity,” said Christophe Roussel, Executive Vice President of Global Sourcing at Gap Inc.

In recent years, Gap Inc. has steadily ramped up its efforts to help drive water efficiency improvements at the mill and laundry level. In 2013, the company launched a Mill Sustainability Program to improve social and environmental practices of fabric mills. Additionally, the company encourages its suppliers to conduct environmental footprint assessments, including water use, using the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s (SAC) Higg Index. It also actively monitors and helps improve wastewater quality at denim laundries through its strengthened Water Quality Program, which was first launched in 2004 to help ensure that wastewater from denim laundries is properly treated.

At the product level, Gap brand has pioneered a smart denim wash program called WASHWELL that reduces water use by 20 percent or more. Since the program began in 2016, Washwell has saved more than 100 million liters of water as per Gap.

“We believe that access to clean and safe drinking water is a fundamental human right, so we strive to ensure that the process of making our clothes is safe for people and communities. It’s not only the right thing for people and the planet, it’s also crucial for our business growth,” said David Hayer, Senior Vice President of Global Sustainability and President of Gap Foundation at Gap Inc.

To ensure a broader impact, Gap Inc. is also working with other leading brands to advocate for the implementation of more environmentally responsible manufacturing practices. This includes working to help scale the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)’s Clean by Design program, which is focused on helping mills improve their operational efficiencies to reduce water, energy and chemical use, and serving as a founding member of the SAC’s Apparel Impact Institute. Gap Inc. is also a member of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Programme. ZDHC members have made a shared commitment to help lead the industry towards elimination of hazardous chemicals in apparel and footwear product lifecycles by 2020. Additionally, Gap Inc. is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact CEO Water Mandate.

Better Cotton

A very important component of sustainability is Cotton – a very water intensive crop. Reducing water imprint of denim and other apparel on earth requires that cotton be grown in the most sustainable way. Gap has kept a target of using 100% sustainable cotton by 2021 – which includes BCI , Organic cotton etc – in their products . Gap already seems to have made good headway in this direction and is expected to be on way to achieve its target. In 2016, GAP sourced 11.5 million pounds of Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) cotton—enough to make 7.4 million pairs of jeans.

Gap Inc.’s Water Stewardship Strategy

The new manufacturing goal is part of the Gap Inc.’s water stewardship strategy, which includes a focus on lessening the impact at the raw materials and product design level as well as helping communities touched by its business improve access to clean water and sanitation.

Through the Gap Inc. Women and Water program, the company is working to help communities touched by its business improve access to clean water and sanitation. The company has integrated water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH) curriculum into the Gap Inc. P.A.C.E. program, and has partnered with organ izations such as WaterAid on a variety of initiatives to support community WASH awareness, education and water access in India. Last year, Gap Inc. and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Women + Water Alliance in India, a collaboration to improve and sustain the health and well-being of women and communities touched by the apparel industry.

At the community level, Gap Inc. has helped to reach more than 34,000 people with access to hygiene education, sanitation and clean water through a partnership with WaterAid. With a new grant, the two organizations will aim to reach an additional 20,000 people and approximately 4,000 households with access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education.As part of its raw materials strategy, the company is particularly focused on cotton, an especially water-intensive crop. In 2016, Gap Inc. joined the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), and to date, the company has sourced more than 100 million pounds of BCI cotton. As part of this commitment, Gap brand set an ambitious goal to get 100 percent of its cotton from more sustainable sources by 2021, including BCI, organic, recycled, and American-grown cotton. Gap brand has sourced 52 million pounds of Better Cotton since joining the program in 2016.

More on Gap Inc.’s Sustainability Goals

Gap Inc. is taking action globally to reduce its environmental footprint in its retail operations and across its supply chain. By the end of 2020, Gap Inc. has committed to a 50 percent absolute reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its owned and operated facilities globally from a 2015 baseline, and to divert 80 percent of its waste in the U.S. from landfill.For more information on Gap Inc.’s sustainability initiatives, please visit: http://www.gapincsustainability.com/

About Gap Inc.

Gap Inc. is a leading global retailer offering clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta brands. Fiscal year 2017 net sales were $15.9 billion. Gap Inc. products are available for purchase in more than 90 countries worldwide through company-operated stores, franchise stores, and e-commerce sites.

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