Reuse of denim garments, a step towards sustainability

The History of Denim:

Denim is a woven twill (drill) fabric. The warp threads of denim fabric are dyed in indigo, while the weft threads remain plain white. Due to its weave pattern, denim is blue on one side and white on the other.
The word ‘denim’ comes from the fabric serge de Nimes,’ made in the French city of Nimes, from where it originates. It has been used in America since the late 18th century.
Denim comes to the market as blue jeans. The birth of blue jeans was on May 20, 1873, when Levi Strauss (a businessman) and Jacob Davis (a tailor) obtained a U.S. patent for the process of putting rivets in men’s work pants for the first time.
Initially, denim fabric was used as durable clothing. It was mainly used by American gold miners during the Gold Rush because it was strong, long-lasting, and did not tear easily.
In the 1930s, it became popular when Hollywood started using denim jeans in their movies.
With the beginning of World War 2, production of jeans dropped, but the world met denim when American soldiers started wearing them on leave. When the war ended, other companies that made denim started appearing, like Wrangler and Lee.
Young people started wearing denim in the 1950s as a means of rebellion. This fashion was also inspired by Hollywood, with Marlon Brando’s 1953 film ‘The Wild One’ and James Dean’s movie ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ from 1955.
Original denim was dyed with natural dye from the plant Indigofera tinctoria. But modern denim is dyed with synthetic indigo to meet the high demand, which creates many negative effects on sustainability.

Global denim market – statistics & facts:

The market value of denim fabrics reached 21.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 and is projected to exceed 26 billion U.S. dollars by 2026.
China holds the leading position as the exporter of denim fabrics worldwide.
Levi Strauss, with reported sales exceeding 4.45 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, commands the largest share of the jeans market.

The other major companies operating in the global denim market include VF Corporation (known for brand names such as Lee and Wrangler), Diesel SpA, Gap Inc., Hennes & Mauritz AB, Inditex, PVH Corp., and Tommy Hilfiger Licensing LLC, among others.

Indian denim market – statistics & facts:

Despite a slowdown in apparel exports and domestic market growth, the denim market in India is consistently achieving a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15% to 18% per year.
The current installed capacity of nearly 1,200 million meters is projected to increase to 2,000 million meters in the next three to four years due to the substantial demand for the fabric.
India currently holds a share of around 10% in the overall denim manufacturing capacities. However, its share in the global jeans trade stands at 2.5%.
Industry estimates suggest that achieving a CAGR of 10% over the next 10 years for denim’s share in international trade is feasible.

Environmental impacts of denim processing:

It is estimated that producing a pair of jeans consumes around 2900 liters of water along with large amounts of chemicals and energy.
Indigo dye is one of the organic colorants used to dye textiles. Unfortunately, textile effluents containing indigo dye and other types of dyes render water toxic and harmful for human and animal consumption, causing imbalances in various aquatic ecosystem food chains.
The use of synthetic indigo and sulfur dyes also presents significant effluent problems.
The environmental impacts of denim processing can be classified into three main categories:
- A. Water pollution: discharge of dyeing and finishing effluents into water bodies.
- B. Air pollution: release of cotton dust, abrasives, and chemicals into the air.
- C. Solid waste (sludge).

Sources of denim waste – statistics & facts:

The global denim jeans market size exceeds 70 billion dollars today, and it continues to grow with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2%. As a reflection of this annual growth, the generation of waste also increases within systems. Textile waste, including denim, accounts for nearly 5% of all landfill space, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
It was estimated that around 65 billion tons of raw materials were processed by the industrial system at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century, and this quantity is expected to reach about 82 billion tons by the end of 2020.
Waste can be classified based on generation as:
- A. Pre-consumer textile waste,
- B. Post-consumer textile waste,
- C. Industrial textile waste.
The textile and apparel industry, which generates a substantial environmental footprint from cultivation, fabric, and garment manufacturing, to the landfill disposal of post-consumer items, faces tremendous environmental and resource challenges.
To address these challenges to some extent, several fashion companies offer their customers options for taking care of their worn-out clothes, including denim jeans.
However, studies have concluded that less than 1% of these collected clothes are being recycled, while nearly 80% of them are mainly sold on the second-hand market in poor countries around the world or used as blankets or insulation material.
The literature reveals that the annual amount of waste jeans generated is estimated at 2.16 million tons, and only 35–50% of this amount is collected in Western Europe for reuse or recycling after sorting.

Ways to Reuse, Repurpose, and Re-imagine:

Frayed denim pouch:

Use a portion of a pair of old jeans to create this simple frayed edge zipper pouch.

Upcycled denim luggage tags

It is very good idea to convert old denim to a luggage tag. Just cut and sewing it the old denim

Denim rug

Denim is a great choice for a DIY rug. The durability will stand up to heavy foot traffic and bonus…it’s washable!

Turn them into insulation

Made from 80 percent recycled cotton fibers, denim insulation has the highest recycled content of any batt insulation on the market. It also omits chemicals and irritants that other insulations contain while offering many key advantages for insulating, from being plentiful, cost-effective and durable, to offering superior soundproofing ability.

Put it in the bag

You may not be able to slip on your favorite pair for a night on the town, but what’s stopping you from slinging it over your shoulder?

Walk a mile in your denim

You’ve already traveled countless places together. Now your journey can continue. (Via DoNight.org)

Denim throw pillow

With some careful cutting and piecing you can sew a brand new chevron denim pillow made from upcycled jeans

Pouf up

You wore your denim to kick up your heels, now it can give you a place to kick back and put your feet up. (Via Michele Made It)

Make a cuddle buddy

Help your favorite kiddo chase away their blues by giving them yours, reimagined as a warm, cuddly stuffed animal. (Via Valaan Villapaita)

There are lots of scope to convert used denim to different crafts as well as many upcycled products;

Denim windsock, Upcycled christmas decorations, Denim basket, Denim feathers, Upcycled denim quilt mat, Upcycled denim backpack, Upcycling ideas denim potholders, Turn jeans pocket into a mobile charger holder, Turn denim scraps into patchwork fabric, Turn jeans to skirts, etc.

Initiatives By Retailers For Denim Reusing

There are several retailers and brands, have taken good initiatives for reusing and recycling the used denims. Some of them are :

Levi Strauss & Co.
Lee
Lifestyle brand Guess
Lindex