H&M, LEVI ECO LINES
H&M currently has one pair of women’s jeans made of 35 per cent recycled cotton in its Conscious collection, while Levi has one for men that’s 15 per cent recycled. Levi also has a few “Water
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Fresh to stores this week, Dutch-based G-Star has co-created this higher-end men’s and women’s line with Pharrell Williams using something called Bionic Yarn made of recycled ocean plastic – yep, the stuff trashing our seas. The made-in-India jeans are about one-third each recycled plastic, conventional cotton and lyocell (a greener form of rayon using gentler chemicals to process tree pulp into fibre). As of last year, 20 per cent of all G-Star’s cotton was organic. Kudos for disclosing factory addresses on g-star.com, though a living-wage pledge would be sweet. Thankfully, it’s promised to pull hazardous pollutants from production by 2020.
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If loving the local is your creed, then you’ll want to hop on the Second bandwagon. The Montreal outfit behind the notorious Yoga jean makes all its women’s clothes in Canada using biodegradable wash agents and water-saving techniques. However, the cotton itself is conventional, as is its polyester (so we’re docking a big point). It’s a shame it discontinued its Eco line made of organic cotton. It just didn’t have the stretch of their Yoga line and never took off. If you love Yoga jeans, then I say make your request for an organic version on Second’s FB page.
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Buying organic jeans is a vote for a happier planet (or at least healthier workers, wildlife and waterways). Most organic denim companies sadly folded in the recession, but not Nudie. I’ve got a huge crush on this hot Swedish men’s denim company (though ladies can rock these styles, too). All its jeans (made in Italy and Tunisia) are 100 per cent certified organic, workers are paid a living wage and textiles are even OEKO-Tex certified (ensuring there are no harmful chems on the product). Plus Nudie’ll send you a jean repair kit for free. nudiejeans.com/stores. The conscientious peeps at Patagonia also offer quality certified organic (made in Sri Lanka) jeans online, but the cuts aren’t quite as hip.
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If I were guest-rapping on Macklemore’s Thrift Shop ditty, I’d definitely throw in a line about scoring the carbon-leanest, greenest jeans that didn’t have to be grown, sewn or flown into town. All you have to do is wash ’em once (in cold water) before you slip ’em on. Plus there’s a mad selection of styles and fits for the tightest budget. Carefully curated vintage stores often hunt down their selections south of the border, but consignment stores like Kind Exchange or run-of-the-mill thrift stores like Value Village sell more local content. That’s as green as it gets.
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G-STAR RAW FOR THE OCEANS
SECOND
NUDIE, PATAGONIA
THRIFT, CONSIGNMENT
