Recycled denim is a sustainable choice because it reduces the waste produced by the textile and fashion industry, thus lowering their carbon footprint. While there are challenges associated with producing recycled denim, forming partnerships with like-minded companies can help create programs to improve it.
What is recycled denim?
Recycling can happen at different levels of the production or consumption process of materials: post-industrial, pre-consumer, or post-consumer. Post-industrial and pre-consumer waste never reaches the final consumers for various reasons. It includes the unavoidable waste that occurs in a factory during the manufacturing process. Post-consumer waste consists of materials that have been used and thrown away by final consumers but were separated from general waste to be recycled and did not end up in landfills.
While post-industrial and pre-consumer recycling operations are well-established in the manufacturing sector, post-consumer recycling programs present a new and complex challenge. Manufacturers have long understood the importance of not losing valuable materials and reusing them to improve efficiency and reduce costs. However, post-consumer recycling, especially in the textile industry, is a relatively new best practice. It is more challenging than recycling post-industrial and pre-consumer textiles, as it involves correctly separating, sorting, and cleaning different raw materials, dyes, and accessories that are often blended together.
Post-industrial, pre-consumer, and post-consumer content can be used to create recycled denim. Cotton fibers that are lost during the manufacturing process, fabrics that are wasted during the cutting and sewing process, and old used jeans can be used to make recycled denim.
Textile materials are usually recycled through a mechanical process, in which a machine takes them back to the fiber stage to be respun into yarns. Recycled fibers are weaker than virgin ones, which is why they are usually blended with new raw materials. While 100% post-industrial and pre-consumer recycled denim fabrics exist, as their quality is not too compromised by the recycling process, it is currently not possible to create 100% post-consumer recycled fabrics, as post-consumer recycled fibers are too weak.
Benefits of using recycled denim
In 2023, EU data revealed that each EU citizen produces approximately 12 kg of clothing and footwear waste annually. Currently, only 22% of post-consumer textile waste is collected separately for reuse and recycling, while the rest is typically incinerated or sent to landfills. Moreover, 2023 EU statistics indicate that in 2020, the textile industry was the third largest source of land use and water degradation. It took an average of 400 square meters of land, nine cubic meters of water, and 391 kg of raw materials to provide clothes and shoes for each EU citizen, resulting in a carbon footprint of about 270 kg.
Considering these data, it’s clear that recycled denim’s benefits are mainly sustainable compared to conventional denim. By repurposing old denim garments to create new fabric, we can significantly reduce waste and conserve resources. This approach helps divert denim from landfills and reduces the strain on our planet. The same holds true for post-industrial and pre-consumer waste that would otherwise be discarded. Additionally, the production of recycled denim requires less water and energy compared to creating new denim from scratch, which aids in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, leading to a smaller carbon footprint, and conserves natural resources by decreasing the demand for virgin cotton.
Furthermore, recycled denim programs contribute to the creation of new jobs in the recycling sector and associated industries. They also stimulate innovation by driving research and development to overcome current technological limitations and promote cooperation and investment to build an efficient and robust supply chain.
Candiani’s recycled denim products
We have always recycled as much as we can, long before sustainability became a popular term. Recently, we have yet increased our efforts to develop specific recycling programs for post-industrial, pre-consumer, and post-consumer materials as part of our commitment to fostering circular business models.
ReGen
In 2018, we officially began our journey towards using recycled denim, coinciding with our 80th anniversary. Our first recycled denim fabrics, known as ReGen, are made with 50% post-industrial recycled cotton sourced from the waste of our manufacturing process and 50% TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ fibers.
TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ is a cellulose fiber created by Lenzing. It blends recycled materials, such as cotton and wood pre-consumer leftovers from clothing production. Both the weft and warp in our ReGen family are made with recycled yarns, avoiding the use of virgin cotton in all fabrics.
Our ReGen fabric line was honored with the ITMA Sustainable Innovation Award in the Industry Excellence Award category in 2019. This prestigious award recognizes textile and apparel manufacturers who use technological innovations to enhance sustainability in their industry.
Re-Cyclone
The Re-Cyclone R&D program encompasses all of our initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable innovation by minimizing waste and exploring alternative raw materials within the denim industry. Specifically, the program focuses on the utilization of post-industrial and post-consumer recycled denim. We develop such programs by delineating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that our solutions must meet, including feedstock, supply chain, traceability, carbon footprint, and quality.
PCR
PCR, which stands for Post-Consumer Recycled, is the name of the program we launched in partnership with Humana People to People Italia and Filatura Astro to recycle old jeans. It is part of the Re-Cyclone broader program. This initiative not only reduces waste but also significantly lessens the environmental impact of denim production. Humana People to People Italia collects old, damaged denim garments that cannot be reused and then prepares them by removing buttons, zippers, patches, and other materials. Filatura Astro returns this clothing to the fiber stage and produces recycled yarns. Finally, we create new denim using these yarns.
To address the weakness of PCR fibers, we blend them with Blue Seed cotton, a unique quality by Gowan Seed Company to which we have exclusive access. Blue Seed cotton combines the strength of Upland cotton with the high quality of extra-long staple cotton, ensuring its fiber is both durable and soft. This unique cotton blend allows us to use a higher-than-average percentage of PCR content in our fabrics, up to 30%. Our PCR denim has been certified GRS (Global Recycled Standard) by ICEA, which guarantees that a product is made with at least 20% recycled materials.
Our PCR program stands out for four key characteristics: quality, proximity, traceability, and circularity. The high quality of our PCR denim is ensured not only by the superior quality of Blue Seed cotton but also by a 100% Italian value chain. The recycling process takes place within only 60 km, between the areas of Biella and Milan, is fully traceable, and represents a circular solution for giving old jeans a second life by turning them into new denim fabrics. Our PCR program meets all the KPIs identified to set our recycled fabrics apart.
