Eco-designed jeans is a B2B pilot project conducted by Candiani Denim and Kering within the scope of the Monitor for Circular Fashion created by SDA Bocconi School of Management and powered by Enel X. It was born from an integrated supply chain collaboration built to manufacture light-washed jeans made with 100% certified organic cotton and following eco-design principles.
The Monitor for Circular Fashion’s pilot projects
The pilot projects of the Monitor for Circular Fashion, including Eco-designed jeans, had four main goals:
- collaboration between ingredient brands, brands, retailers, and service providers
- reliable sustainability claims to combat greenwashing
- implementation and test of industry-specific KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) into real-life products
- application of eco-design principles to real-life products
Sustainable light-washed jeans characterized by traceability
Both process and product were tested in the Candiani Denim-Kering project. Eco-design, raw material sourcing, and manufacturing of finished products were identified as the main circular fashion activities. Traceability was also a key feature and distinguished all the production steps of these sustainable light-washed jeans:
- ginning
- spinning
- weaving
- finished garment
Eco-design
The eco-designed jeans were co-created by Candiani Denim and Kering using modular solutions and with circularity in mind. All three eco-design principles were applied:
- increased durability
- safe chemical substances
- resources reduction
Raw material sourcing
Great attention was given to raw material sourcing. The fabric of these eco-designed jeans was 100% composed of certified GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) cotton.
Manufacturing of finished products
100% of the chemicals used in the manufacturing of finished products comply with the ZDHC MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substances List), which means that no banned chemical substances are intentionally employed during production processes.
Compared to conventionally designed light-washed jeans (made with sustainable denim), the eco-designed pairs required 84% fewer chemicals and 53% less water in their production process, while actively reducing hazards to worker health and safety. Some substances and practices were indeed avoided, such as:
- sodium hypochlorite
- potassium permanganate
- sand blasting treatment
- hand-scraping (silica dust)
