Have you ever counted how many pairs of jeans you actually have in your wardrobe, and yet you still think about buying another pair? Hopefully we wear them until they fall apart. 150 years ago they were used as hard-wearing workwear, today they are part of our lifestyle. If we want to live more sustainably, the best place to start is with blue jeans. In this article, we tell you why it makes sense to take a close look at jeans.

 

The biggest challenges in jeans production are the material, the dye, social standards and the long transport routes. 

Material: Most jeans are made from conventional cotton. Unfortunately, cotton cultivation is associated with very high water consumption, the use of pesticides/chemicals and monocultures. As a result, the fertility of the soil is heavily polluted and biodiversity is impaired. Jeans made from organic cotton, recycled cotton and jeans with the GOTS label help you to reduce your ecological footprint.

Dyeing: One of the most important dye groups for dyeing blue jeans is synthetically produced indigo blue. An important component of this is aniline, which is extracted from petroleum. It is suspected of being carcinogenic and can probably cause genetic defects. We consumers assume that these substances are not contained in our clothing. A study by Stiftung Ökotest in cooperation with our stakeholder Femnet e.V. took a closer look at several jeans. Unfortunately, the results were sobering. Only the Kings of Indigo label scored very well. The dyeing and finishing of textiles also cause enormous water pollution in the countries of production. An easy way out is to do away with blue and wear so-called undyed jeans. This is definitely the better choice for the environment and for you.

Finishing: Have you ever heard of dry denim? This means that the fabric is untreated, the jeans have not been washed or bleached. So no used look was created in the laundry, but you have to enter these jeans yourself. Please inform yourself about the negative effects on the environment and people of trends like the used look. You are definitely better off with dry denim.

Social standards: Unfortunately, many suppliers are not able to prove that they pay living wages. If you want to support the observance of human rights, look out for the labels of the Fair Wear Foundation and the GOTS. They have been independently and transparently verified. Not all suppliers can afford certification. Then look closely at what they can tell you about their supply chain. Brands that focus on social standards, disclose factories for the entire value chain can be just as good a social choice.

Local production: We don’t get to see very much here in the western hemispheres as most production takes place in China and Turkey. A pair of jeans has travelled up to 30,000km due to global supply chains, more than many of us. Here it helps to look where there are local labels and suppliers that produce in Europe, for example.

Second-hand: Let’s face it, we could probably last quite a long time with the jeans we already have and don’t need new ones at all. If we do, a better alternative than buying new is to buy the jeans second-hand. The resources don’t have to be recreated and they are kept in the cycle longer. They are designed to last a long time. Second-hand also has the advantage that many washes have probably already removed pollutants. Maybe you will try it out. Especially with your favourite brands, you know your size and even save. Or you can earn money by giving away your jeans that you no longer need.

Repair: Some labels like Nudie Jeans already offer free repair services. In Berlin, the A-Gain- Guide can help you. Clothes Doctor is also a good place to go online.

Upcycling: Many designers, e.g. Bridge & Tunnel from Hamburg, focus on upcycling and create great products from old jeans. You can also donate your old jeans there.

Circular: We already reported on how to keep jeans in a value cycle, the so-called “circular jeans“, in our article on Mud Jeans. They are pioneers when it comes to keeping the garment with such a big impact in the cycle for a long time, e.g. by leasing the jeans.

We also find the recycling art project from Berlin Anewkindofblue very exciting.  A New Kind of Blue is a Berlin-based design studio looking for locally embedded solutions to global problems, with the circular economy as a starting point.  Designers can read about what jeans need to look like to be recyclable at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s The Jeans Redesign Project.

Sources:

https://www.oekotest.de/kosmetik-wellness/Jeans-Test-Nur-eine-Damenjeans-ist-empfehlenswert_10748_1.html

https://bridgeandtunnel.de/

https://anewkindofblue.com/

www.kingsofindigo.de

https://a-gain.guide/de

https://clothes-doctor.com/

https://mudjeans.de

https://green-lifestyle-magazin.de/jeans-so-schlecht-sind-die-lieblingshosen-fuer-die-umwelt/

Of course there are a way more great designers and initiatives out there. We just pricked a few.

Photo by Ryan Moreno on Unsplash

Project CECE is an online platform for buying sustainable and fair fashion, offering access to selected brands and products that meet five sustainability criteria: Fair trade, Environmentally friendly, Vegan, Locally produced, Good cause. The feature of being able to search for products specifically according to materials and certificates is particularly great. This is a real boon for anyone who has been involved with sustainable fashion for a while. It is also nice that there are many small brands that are not found on every platform.

Sustainable fashion consumption is much more than just buying new clothes. However, investing in high quality products that have been produced in a fair and resource-friendly way is a good starting point for the journey towards a sustainable lifestyle. We had a chat with Eva from the Project CECE , who introduced us to the project.

What is the CECE Project about? What was the motivation?

We have been collecting online sustainable and conscious clothing since 2016 to make shopping easier for people. We, the founders of Project Cece, are three students from Amsterdam (studying physics and astronomy and business and economics). At some point we started to think seriously about why we still buy clothes that we know for a fact are made under bad conditions for humans, animals and the environment. The search for sustainable and fair fashion proved difficult. This gave rise to the idea of generating a web shop where it is easy and quick for every buyer to see where an item of clothing comes from and how it was produced.

Our goal is to forge a positive change in the fashion industry. We see so much greenwashing going on and according to a survey by Deloitte today’s youngsters don’t trust the motives of today’s leaders in business in the fashion industry towards sustainability. We are making it easy for them to discover brands who started with sustainability in mind and offer them a trustworthy alternative. Making the small, sustainable webshops of today the industry leaders of the future, is the ultimate goal.

What do you understand by sustainability in the fashion industry? 

The value chain in the fashion industry is very complex and often not very transparent, so it is not always easy to say clearly what is sustainable or conscious. For example, a product that is fairly traded is not also good for the environment. Or a jacket made of vegan leather is not necessarily fair trade. What we do is gather all the information so that the buyers can decide what is conscious and sustainable for them.

Environmental friendly

sustainable materials are used, environmentally friendly production, such as water management and the use of hazardous chemicals

Fair Trade

fair and safe working conditions as well as fair wages in production, quality seals that verify fair trade include GOTS, Fair Wear Foundation and Fairtrade

Vegan

entire brand only produces using vegan materials, no animal materials are used such as wool, silk or leather, and that no animal dyes are used

Local production

local production as all production carried out within Europe, your product does not have to travel as far before it hangs in your wardrobe, and that there is often (but certainly not always) better control of the working conditions

Good Cause

Some brands also want to give something extra back to the world, they plant trees, they support charities, they provide free training and health care to the communities where their products are produced, and sometimes they give away free products

„We think the main point is to know the income of all suppliers in the supply chain (fair income) and to produce environmentally friendly. That’s why these two criterions are choosen to be the precondition to get on our website.“

The impact analysis team researches all the brands on Project Cece. Brands need to fill out an extensive questionnaire with questions about their production and values. They also ask for evidence for their sustainability claims, in the form of certifications, third-party reports and recent pictures.

More infos are provided here: https://www.projectcece.de/sustainability-standards/

So next time you’re looking for fairly produced and sustainable clothing, you’ve found a good starting point. Feel free to spread the word and share!

Online-Plattform nachhaltige und ehrliche Mode | Project Cece

Photo copyright by Cece Project

“Wood-based fibres for fashion are “a choice we all need to be aware of for a better life on our planet.” The majority of textiles today are still made of petroleum-based synthetic fibres. A limited raw material whose use is not good for our environment. Washing clothes made of synthetic fibres releases huge amounts of tiny particles into the oceans. An alternative are materials made from renewable, compostable raw materials. In the textile industry, this includes wood, especially TENCEL. Cellulose fibres made from wood currently account for 6 percent of total global fibre production. Clothing made of wood is pleasant to wear on the skin. We took a closer look at the material.

Wood fibres like TENCEL (lyocell &  modal) as well as viscose are comparable to cotton in terms of wearing comfort. They are soft, smooth and do not prick. They cool, absorb moisture and drape well. The fibres are resilient and high-quality and therefore durable, which is very important for our favourite garments to last a long time. Fashion made from wood fibres also has no special care requirements.

Why is wood a good alternative in the field of sustainable fashion?

Less acreage, less water, less chemicals and less energy consumption, less CO₂ than conventional cotton

Forests store CO₂ and cool the world. The bark, leaves and branches of trees as well as the wood in the trunk can be processed, e.g. into wood fibres. There are many forests here in the German-speaking countries and neighbouring countries, which makes local procurement and short transport distances possible. Beech wood in particular is used for the clothing industry here.

Approximately 4 T-shirts can be made from a log of 1kg. Due to the low material input, the production of clothing from wood can thus be regarded as resource-saving. The cultivation area of wood is up to 300 to 500 % smaller than that of conventional cotton and the land is already available.  In contrast to a T-shirt made of cotton, according to wijld, 1,000 litres of water, 150 ml of chemicals in the form of pesticides and fertilisers and around 600g of CO2 can also be saved just by the shortened transport routes. The CO₂ consumption of a T-shirt can be reduced by around 75% in fibre production.

Wood is a renewable raw material. A beech tree can grow to an average height of 35 metres and can be up to 300 years old. It grows 50 to 60 centimetres per year. This shows that this resource is also only available in limited quantities. In addition, forests have been increasingly exposed to extreme climatic conditions such as permanent heat in recent years here in the German-speaking countries, which has a negative effect on the regenerative capacity of the forest ecosystem.

Wood clothes are compostable within six weeks if nature-friendly dyeing etc. was used in the finishing process. So that the recyclables could be added back to the forest after the use phase.

There are also differences in the wood fibres. TENCEL lyocell, for example, is by far the most resource-friendly wood fibre, in contrast to viscose. Other wood fibres are e.g. bamboo and eucalyptus, which we will deal with another time.  

Manufacturing process

The viscose production process, i.e. the extraction of cellulose from wood, has been known since the 1900s. Over time, the process has been further developed and now, for example at Lenzing AG in Austria, no harmful additives or chemicals are used. The tree trunks are processed into wood chips and mixed with a non-toxic solvent to dissolve out the cellulose. The resulting thick mass is pressed through spinning glands to produce fine fibres. These are then bleached, cleaned and dried to make yarn.

“Tencel fibres are versatile and can be processed into different types of fabric – for example, smooth fabrics that feel like silk, firm denim or soft fabrics with a fluffy surface.”

FSC important label for sustainable forestry

When buying clothes made of wood, make sure that the wood comes from FSC-certified mixed forests, as these are subject to strict reforestation regulations and do not require the use of additional irrigation or pesticides.

Internationally, FSC is the most important label. FSC® stands for “Forest Stewardship Council®”. It is an international certification system for more sustainable forest management. The wood comes from forests that are managed more responsibly.

There are many suppliers of cellulose that cut down primeval forests and are not at all sustainable. Just have a look at Canopy Planet’s Hot Button Report, which takes a closer look at manufacturers worldwide. Suppliers such as Aditya Birla (India) and Lenzing AG from Austria achieve the highest values and are particularly environmentally friendly.

It is very important to look at where the wood comes from, that has a big impact on sustainability. Lenzing now has wood cultivation areas all over the world. To ensure short transport distances, it makes sense to use wood from nearby.

Suppliers of sustainable fashion made from wood

You can simply enter TENCEL (lyocell & modal) and clothing in the search engine or have a look at Wijld or Wood-fashion, where all products are made of wood fibres. Other suppliers such as Dedicated brand and Hessnatur also offer clothing made from wood fibres.  But also have a look at Seccond Hand Shops. Of course, the most sustainable thing to do is not to buy anything new. If you do need to, you can get a T-shirt for as little as 20 euros. Since the clothes are durable, this is a good investment.

When shopping, look for the materials that are on the textile label in German-speaking countries, look for TENCEL (lyocell). These are cellulose fibres derived from wood. They are also used as a blend with other natural fibres such as wool, cotton, etc. But also make sure that the wood is subject to FSC certification.

By using TENCEL clothing, you are contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 12 – Sustainable production and consumption patterns (SDG 12), as also explained in this film. 

Wood-based Fibers Could Lead Sustainable Fashion Out of the Woods | News | SDG Knowledge Hub | IISD

 

Sources

Bekleidung aus Holz: Holz ist genial!
Hot Button Report

“Made in Forests” – a short story about sustainable fashion – YouTube

Tencel: Das ist das Besondere an diesem Stoff – Utopia.de

Wood-fashion

Wijld

Homepage (fsc-deutschland.de)

Umtriebszeit: wie lange benötigt ein Baum bis zur Hiebsreife? – Wald-Prinz.de

 

Photo by Joel & Jasmin Førestbird on Unsplash

Danny Reinke is a fashion brand,  which combines craftmanship and local production in our hometown Berlin. We came across them during Berlin Fashion Week. We are glad, that we had the chance to ask about his approach, success factors and challenges of local production.

What is Danny Reinke all about?

Danny Reinke’s Prêt-à-Couture collection is a rhythm of contrasts. A mixing of luxe textiles that emphasize the playfulness of spirit and style, while thoughtful tailoring is resonant with the careful construction that marks the German intellect and soul of the brand. Signature design elements in bodysuits highlight youthful femininity, while opulent tulle dresses present a strong yet accordant contrast with embroidery which is a hallmark of the brand. 

The garments themselves are all lovingly handmade from the highest quality materials in our Berlin atelier, ensuring a responsible method of production that is critical to the message of sustainability that is so important to the brand. 

Why did you decide to produce locally? 

Sustainability is part of our design philosophy and it is very important for the fashion industry. However, sustainability has many facets from the raw materials to the local production of garments. This was very important for us from the beginning. We saw this process as part of our value. Amongst other things, we want every tailor, seamstress or pattern-maker to be paid accordingly for their work and to have good benefits in the atelier. That is why we decided to go this route, so what we can inspect every garment and monitor all production sites ourselves.

Does local production play a role in your success?

Success is secondary for us, primarily our vision is to promote and preserve German craftsmanship. Fashion made in Germany is far too small in the economically strong Germany.

What skills are necessary for local production? How did you acquire the knowledge?

I had a dual course of studies in fashion design and ladies’ tailoring at the FahModa Academy for Fashion and Design in Hanover. In 2012, I also attended the Kraków School of Art and Fashion Design. I am a trained dressmaker / tailor and therefore have a very good knowledge of the production of clothing. Because of my training I consider all options for a garment. The prototyping and pattern development takes place entirely in our studio in Berlin.

What challenges have you encountered in implementing local production?

Coming from an artisan handcraft background myself, quality is very important to me, so balancing all the components is always a bit of a challenge.

Do consumers from the region value your products?

All our customers are grateful for the transparent handling of our clothing. Many customers have had their clothes made to measure in our atelier. This means that we have a personal connection to every customer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

dannyreinke.com

photo copyright by Danny Reinke

Trippen, the sustainble internationally renowned avant-garde shoe brand from Berlin, was founded three decades ago. We are pleased that Michael Oehler, founder of Trippen, took the time to answer our questions about the advantages of local production, the challenges as well as the role of local customers.

Setting up its own production facility near Berlin allows Trippen to offer its customers personalisation and reordering – important success factors in the fashion industry today. Even more important for us is that Trippen takes social responsibility in its local community.

The “made in Germany” is an important pillar for the internationalisation success of the label. About 80% sales are made internationally. Even in the local shops, mostly tourists buy the shoes. Local customers need to be aware of the treasure that is right in front of them, to make local production the key to sustainability. So let’s get to know Trippen…

What is Trippen all about?

Berlin, 1991. Inspired to translate a new vision of sustainability into avant-garde shoes, Angela Spieth and Michael Oehler founded Trippen. Embodying the spirit of their reunited city, the designers forged a distinct style through an interplay of restraint and creativity.

Rubber sole moulds were reduced to a few styles chosen for optimal comfort while leather uppers offered limitless possibilities for creative expression. The signature design language that has since earned Trippen its international cult status emerged from this framework, to which the label remains true today—playfully referencing fashion’s shifts while transcending them with a timeless aesthetic.

Each new style adds a point of distinction to the brand’s living archive, which contains over 1600 models available for re-order. In honour of its customers’ creativity, Trippen’s bespoke ‘Made for You’ service invites individuals to personalise their pair by selecting both leather style and sole colour.

Why did you decide to produce locally? What advantages do you see in it?

Social responsibility is foundational to the Trippen universe. In 1998, the brand established its own production facility in a former GDR shoe production area in Zehdenick, Brandenburg.

Manufacturing in-house allows fabrication to occur on demand, reducing waste while optimising quality control and flexibility. Experimental concepts can be tested quickly, generating truly unique designs.

It also allows Trippen to keep its pricing honest. Investments in marketing and packaging are reduced to a minimum, allowing revenue to go directly towards premium materials and labour costs. Ensuring wages are equitable and working conditions fair is top priority, especially given Trippen’s commitment to reducing unemployment and promoting social integration in its local community. During the ’90s, migrants who had fled the Balkan Wars were welcomed into the workforce—efforts that today extend to recent refugees from Afghanistan, Somalia, and Syria, as was recognised by Trippen’s 2018 Brandenburg Integration Award.

What skills are necessary for local production? How did you acquire the knowledge?

As we produced in the beginning in Germany and Italy as well, we build up an infrastructure in Italy for machinery and materials. Step by step we brought machinery and technics to Germany. Today we still working mostly with this infrastructure. We always designed for the potential of our team, the collection and the team was growing together.

What challenges have you encountered in implementing local production?

The hardest is to fill the production the whole year round.

Trippen is a pioneer when it comes to the combination of sustainability and local  production. The insights show that in-house manufacturing demands infrastructure, know-how, and full order books. It gives you the possibility to take over responsibility for your value chain and make a difference in local work communities.

www.trippen.com

www.instagram.com/trippen.official

photos copyright by Trippen

Trippen Spring/Summer 21 — Back to the Future: Art Direction & Set Design: Jakub Kubica Photos: Jose Cuevas Styling: Rudolfs A. Packevics Make up: Naomi Gugler Models: Ananya, Andreas Art Installations: Jakub Kubic

We have already looked at sourcing raw materials for the garment industry from a city’s waste. Cities consume 75% of the world’s natural resources (Ellen McArthur Foundation, 2021). Besides the materials used, the way clothes are made also has a big impact on the environment. A pair of fast fashion jeans has travelled up to 50,000 km across several contingents by the time it is bought and used in our country. This is not a sustainable production method. How can the fashion production be made sustainable and local?

In Germany, only about 10% of the textile production is left. Many manufacturers have relocated production and the associated environmental and social problems abroad, mostly to Asia. The textile industry is one of the oldest and, in terms of number of employees and turnover, one of the most important branches of the manufacturing industry. It manufactures textile products from fibres, such as spun yarns, woven fabrics, felts, nonwovens, stitch-bonded fabrics and knitted goods, which are further processed by the clothing industry, among others.  It is upstream of the clothing industry. In Central Europe, there are almost no companies left in which all production stages from raw material to end product are carried out. The companies in the textile and clothing industry have a strong division of labour and are internationalised. Almost no clothing is produced in Germany any more, although some of the largest clothing producers are located in Germany (Wikipedia).

Sustainable, local garment production requires local, sustainable textile production (incl. recycling/reprocessing). The stages of textile production are drivers of environmentally harmful emissions. Yarn preparation (28%) and dyeing and finishing (36%) in particular play a central role and must be taken into account in the area of sustainable production. A T-shirt made from organically grown cotton can consume a lot of chemicals in the finishing stage, which are not very healthy for humans or the environment.

Local garment production has not completely disappeared. Pioneers like MarcCain show how production in Germany can succeed with technology.

Numerous creative people are also lovingly handcrafting small collections that can be counted as slow fashion.  

Berlin is home to charming labels that are committed to sustainability and produce locally. Among them are designers who work with upcycling methods. For example: Buki Akomolafe (bukiakomolafe.com), BRACHMANN (brachmannofficial.com), Danny Reinke (www.dannyreinke.com), Kollateralschaden (www.kollateralschaden.com), Natascha von Hirschhausen (nataschavonhirschhausen.com), The Tribe (www. thetribe.berlin), Trippen (de.trippen.com), MYKITA (www.mykita.co), Working Titel (www.workingtitlestudios.com), After March (www.helloaftermarch.com), Bis es mir vom Leibe fällt (bisesmirvomleibefaellt.com), Benu (www.benu-berlin.com), Erie Berlin (www.erieberlin.com) (Projekt Zukunft).

These are nice examples. Digitalisation and automation could make this kind of fashion available to even more people.

How can we succeed in designing and producing new collections in a future city, with and around the customer? We imagine digital, collaborative design interfaces and micro-factories that produce on-demand, i.e. only what is “needed”. This prevents tons of stock from not being sold. This production would be flexible and decentralised. The more the customer is involved in the design, the higher his emotional attachment to the clothing will be. And he will value it more and wear it longer. Overall, micro-factories have only a small production capacity. This model only works if there is also less consumption, which is also good for the environment.

Local fashion production would be very transparent and visible to every customer. We have already reported on pioneers like unmade that make this possible. In Germany, consumption fell by 6.1% in 2020 due to the Corona pandemic. The most in 70 years (IW). We are adaptable.

In the next post, we will take a deep dive into labels and their production methods.

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photo by Berkay Erguler unsplash