IN THE WORLD OF FASHION, BLUE JEANS HAVE LONG BEEN AN ICON OF TIMELESS STYLE. HOWEVER, THEIR MANUFACTURING PROCESS MAY HAVE A HEAVY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. AMONG THE GUILTY, THE BLUE DYES WHICH GIVE THE FABRIC THE CHARACTERISTIC INDIGO COLOR. LUCKILY, AN INNOVATIVE PRODUCTION METHOD HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE JEANS
Blue jeans in history
I blue jeans They have a fascinating history dating back to 1873, when a tailor named Jacob Davis and the entrepreneur Levi Strauss they designed the first model in San Francisco, California. The idea was to create a strong and durable piece of clothing for miners to wear during the gold rush. Using durable cotton canvas called “denim“, Davis and Strauss reinforced the seams of the trousers with metal rivets, thus creating a garment that would become iconic throughout the world.
As for the name “blue jeans“, derives from the fact that the fabric was dyed with a natural bluish dye derived from Japanese persicaria (Persicaria tincture), a shrub of the family Fabacee (o leguminose).
The choice of color was not just a question of aesthetics: the indigo blue managed to mask dirt and wear, thus making the jeans ideal for heavy work and outdoor activities.
Jeans, on the other hand, derives from the pronunciation of the French word “Genoa” Meaning what Genova, city where denim canvas was originally produced.
As the years went by, blue jeans became much more than just a simple item of clothing for manual workers. In the 50s and 60s, they represented a symbol of youth rebellion and counter-culture.
Movie star like James Dean e Marlon Brando they showed them off in their cult film. Today, billions of denim garments are produced, with the global market valued at $63.5 billion in 2020 alone.
In short, jeans are a basic element of casual and urban fashion, worn by people of all ages and social groups. But let’s get to the question of coloring.
From old to new: a revolution in dyeing “green” blue jeans
Dyeing a single pair of jeans can take up to 110 liters of water. As for the chemical additives used during the process, in addition to being potentially carcinogenic, there are a lot of them pollutants. The solvents end up in waste water and flow into waterways near factories, devastating local ecosystems and turning even rivers blue.
Well, in the past, bacteria capable of producing a sustainable dye had been created. However, it had not been possible to efficiently use a dye on an industrial scale.
Today however, a Danish team led by Ditte Hededam Welner, biologist of Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability from Lyngby (Denmark) has found a more solution “verde”.
At the heart of this innovation is theindicate, a compound present in the same leaves of the plants that produce indigo.
When these are crushed, they release a deep blue that can withstand the large-scale manufacturing process better than previous methods.
To further explore the effectiveness of sustainable approaches to indican dyeing, the team used light (from the sun to household light bulbs) to dye denim. The results were surprising: by leaving the fabric with the indican and water exposed to sunlight on a windowsill, it was possible to convert the indican into indigo without even adding the enzyme. Result?
The new ecological blue
According to the results of the study, using the enzyme for dyeing with indican reduces the environmental impact by 92% compared to conventional dyeing, while the use of light for the same purpose reduces the environmental impact by 73%. .
«Replacing aggressive chemistry with greener processes is the right direction”he claims Sergiy Minko, chemist at the University of Georgia. «While it may be a long and difficult journey, every step in this direction is a step towards a more sustainable future.”
Challenges and hopes in the race towards denim sustainability
Despite technological advances in the textile industry, the road to jeans sustainability is still littered with challenges.
In addition to the issues related to dyeing, there is the huge issue of water consumption.
Adam Taubenfligelco-founder of Triarchy, a sustainable denim company, defines the traditional methods of producing jeans “terribly consumerist”.
Triarchy has taken an innovative approach, using unconventional technologies to create vintage-looking jeans without using water or chemicals.
The company has also made progress in recycling factory water and reducing plastic, a significant challenge given the presence of synthetic fibers that contain plastic and, therefore, a major source of microplastics.
Despite this progress, implementing sustainable practices is not always easy or economical. Ditte Hededam Welner, points out that switching to enzymatic dyeing or LED light dyeing involves additional costs. However, Welner is convinced that the environmental benefits far outweigh the additional costs.
But real change could only happen if large clothing companies adopted more responsible practices. Taubenfligel remains optimistic about the future, hoping that innovative technologies will become the norm in the textile industry. «My hope is that, over time, all of these technologies will be adopted and we will have a much cleaner industry for everyone.”he claims.
In an age where environmental sustainability is paramount, it is encouraging to see that the denim industry is making significant progress towards reducing its environmental impact.
Source
National Geographic