Patagonia has decided to follow ethical practices by changing the way denim is made and raising the bar for environmental and human rights practices – using innovative, environment friendly dyes, Fair Trade Certified sewing practices, and 100 per cent organic cotton grown without pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers for its products.

The company’s new dyeing and manufacturing process developed by Archroma, uses Diresul RDT dyestuffs that easily blend with cotton, minimising the resource-intensive and environmentally destructive indigo dyeing, rinsing and garment washing process used to create traditional denim. Following sustainable manufacturing process, the company is using 84 per cent less water, 30 per cent less energy and emitting 25 per cent less CO2 compared to the earlier conventional synthetic indigo denim dyeing processes.

All Patagonia denim is made with organic cotton that is grown without chemical or synthetic fertilizers, poisonous pesticides or herbicides. The entire process results in a colour-rich, durable style – avoiding the environmental downsides of sandblasting, bleaching and stonewashing jeans.

To promote its ethical production practices and create awareness about the impact of denim industry on environmental and social life, Patagonia also launched a campaign in August called ‘Because Denim is Filthy Business’.

www.patagonia.com