Denim brand Lee Jeans is set to launch a range of fully biodegradable jeans which can be put in the compost bin when the user no longer wants to keep them. Lee’s ‘Back to Nature’ collection is made of compostable linen-cotton yarns, with no rivets. When they are no longer needed, the buttons can be unscrewed to be reused and the rest thrown into the compost, where it will biodegrade and return to the Earth. The collection comprises the brand’s Rider jacket and jeans, with a version of each for men and women. The fabric mix is 85 per cent cotton and 15 per cent flax (linen).
Unlike much modern denim it includes no plastic (polyester) which has often been added to denim in recent years to enhance performance, stretch and thermoregulation, in response to consumer demand for comfort and mobility.
“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,” said Roian Atwood, Director of sustainability for Lee Jeans and Wrangler.
To make the new garments biodegradable, all rivets, historically made of brass or metal, were removed and the leather patch on the waistband was replaced with Jacron, a leather-look paper material made from cellulose, also used by Swedish brand Nudie Jeans. Lee Jeans says its biodegradable jeans will be the first to hit shops when they are launched on February 17.
The launch forms part of Lee Jeans’ wider sustainability initiative, called ‘For a World That Works’, which was recently launched at the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF). As well as ‘Back to Nature’, it focuses on sustainable production and finishing processes, like using naturally derived dyes, dyes created from agricultural waste, lasering to distress jeans, rather than environmentally damaging chemicals, and a foam dyeing process.
“As one of the most iconic denim brands in the world, the Lee brand understands its responsibility to help lead our industry toward a better future,” said Chris Waldeck, Lee’s EVP and Global Brand President.
“Our new sustainability platform is the roadmap that will guide our actions and help drive meaningful progress toward more positive environmental and social impacts.”
