A few years ago, as part of a Fashion History course I was doing for my undergrad degree, I learned just how harmful cotton can be for the environment. Although it’s touted by many as being all natural and incredibly versatile, cotton actually requires a lot of extra attention in the farming and processing stages. The truth is that in order for farmers to be able to grow large cotton crops such as is required for clothing purposes, they have to rely on pesticides and genetically modified plants, as well as a huge amount of water. Once the cotton gets to the manufacturing stage, the factories chew through large levels of water (steaming and rinsing) and chemicals (purifying, proofing and dying). Denim fabric in particular is one of the worst as far as water conservation during the manufacturing process is concerned.

I hadn’t really thought too deeply about the ethics of denim until my mum brought it to my attention a few days ago after she read about the problem in ABC’s ‘Life’ magazine. The article, entitled ‘Green is the new black’, mentions that 20,000 people die per year from accidental pesticide poisoning used in the growing of cotton. Moreover, for every kilogram of cotton grown in Australia alone, 4,268 litres of water is consumed. If this cotton is then manufactured into denim, another 7,000-29,000 litres of water are used in the washing and dying processes. Growing the cotton used in every pair of jeans requires one third of a kilogram of pesticide.

Nasty, right? Fortunately it appears that a number of labels are realizing just how harmful the growing and manufacturing of materials for clothing can actually be, and are taking steps to improve their fabrics and factory standards. The article mentions that an Italian brand, Nudie jeans, is producing clothing that is one hundred percent organic and which has been manufactured in ways that are not harmful to the environment. Levi’s has jumped on the band-wagon too, with a limited range of ‘Green Jeans’. Then there’s the Sugar Cane and Co Denim Clothing brand, which uses sugar cane fibres instead of cotton to make the denim fabric. Other labels claim to be cutting down on the pesticides used in cotton production, and still more are boasting that they incorporate ‘recycled’ denim (off-cuts and pre-loved jeans) in their designs. Some denim companies are researching whether hemp and bamboo can be used in the fabric production process instead of relying solely on cotton.

As a denim lover (I think I own seven pairs of jeans, two denim skirts and a pair of denim capri shorts), I would gladly pay a little bit more for my jeans if it meant that they were kinder not just to the environment but to the people that produced them. I’m not too fussed about hemp clothing, or about avoiding leather (it smells so good!), but environmentally-friendly denim is certainly something I can see myself getting into, so to speak.