Despite sustainable clothing developments in recent years, the fashion industry is still having a substantial negative effect on the environment.
Only 15% of clothes are recycled or donated, 190,000 tons of microplastic fibers make their way into the oceans every year and 20% of industrial water pollution is the result of textile treatment and dyeing fabrics, according to Sustain Your Style.
In a move to reduce the impact that fashion has on the Earth, international denim brand, Lee Jeans, has just released a new collection of jeans – with each item entirely biodegradable, barring the buttons (which can be unscrewed and reused).
So when you decide you’re done with your jeans, you can simply throw them into the compost bin, or donate them to someone else, of course.
Dubbed ‘Back to Nature’, the collection is made from compostable linen (85% cotton and 15% flax linen) with no rivets.
The classic waistband leather patch has also been replaced by a soft faux-leather material made from cellulosic fibers and acrylic polymers, known as Jacron (also used by the Swedish brand Nudie Jeans).
It features four products: the Rider jacket and jeans, with a version of each for men and women, however the female jacket has a belt and the jeans have a wide leg.
Many people recommend buying a slightly smaller size when it comes to jeans but be careful: due to the materials they are made with, the Rider jeans are hard in the feel and don’t offer any stretch.
‘The most critical emerging environmental problem that our industry is going to face is pollution due to the increased amount of synthetics in denim products and the creation therefore of microplastics,’ Roian Atwood, director of sustainability for Lee Jeans and Wrangler tells the Standard.
‘This polyester sheds and comes off via pilling into very small, tiny pieces into the ambient environment, which is why we are finding microplastics all throughout the globe.’
Back to Nature forms part of Lee Jeans’ sustainability project ‘For a World That works’, which includes two other campaigns including one to find alternatives to existing dye processes.
There are also other companies currently working on biodegradable jeans, such as Stella McCartney and Denham, so we may well see more products released soon.
Want to get yourself a pair of environmentally-friendly jeans?
The Lee Jeans Back to Nature collection will launch in the UK on 17 February.
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