Half Century Jeans’ 50-Year Guarantee Says ‘Buy Less & Buy Better’

With 25% of the world’s chemicals used for textile production, and 10% of the world’s carbon emissions coming from the apparel industry – clothing manufacturers have made great strides in addressing environmental responsibility. Companies are chasing more sustainable supply chains and dyeing processes, implementing recycling and reuse programs, and creating associations and think-tanks to begin improving the environmental impacts of the industry. But a large part of the problem is the “fast fashion” mentality that sees many consumers following clothing trends that last only a season, buying new and trendy clothes before they’re needed, and forgetting to recycle them. Start-up manufacturer Half Century Jeans, however, is hoping to shine a spotlight on the fast fashion mentality by creating “indestructible” jeans – backed by a 50-year guarantee – and encouraging customers to “buy less and buy better” and, basically, keep the jeans forever rather than tossing them in the trash.

Half Century Jeans says its products are built from a special hybrid of materials including Japanese selvedge denim, sourced from Okayama, and ultra durable Spectra fibres, which are 15 times stronger than cable steel, the company says.

 

Environmentally Responsible Materials

Selvedge denim is made using traditional shuttle looms. These weave the cloth in a continuous cross-thread that is passed back and forth on the shuttle along the length of the bolt. As this thread loops back around, it creates a “selvedge edge,” finishing these strips of fabric with tightly woven bands that stop them from fraying or unravelling. Using selvedge denim is crucial to the design of the Half Century Jeans because it is more durable, better value in terms of cost per wear, made ethically and looks smarter, the company says.

Additionally, all cotton used in the production of Half Century Jeans is 100% organic. “Growing cotton conventionally involves the use of chemicals which cause pollution to both soil and water. This has grave consequences not only for the environment but for the people exposed to these pesticides which cause birth defects, reproductive disorders and weaker immune systems,” the company says. “Organic cotton is free from pesticides, genetic modification and artificial fertilizers. This is better for the health of our planet and the people living on it: whether you’re using cotton to make clothing or a consumer wearing it.”

 

50-Year Guarantee

Half Century Jeans says that, should there be anything that needs repairing or replacing over the course of the next 50 years in any pair of jeans, the company will fix it immediately and free of charge.

Unlike mass produced jeans that come with faux fading or holes, the jeans are built to look better with every day of further use and “were designed to demonstrate that no fabric looks better with age than denim,” the company says.

 

Lack of Recycling Is Part of the Problem

Many consumers don’t realize that clothing and textiles are recyclable or how to recycle them, wrote the Chicago Tribune last summer. According to the EPA, the United States generated 16.22 million tons of disposed textiles in 2014 and recycled only 2.62 million tons. Ten and a half million tons of textiles ended up in landfills that year.

Half Century Jeans says that any pair returned for replacement will be either repaired to sell second-hand or recycled to create something new using the materials.

 

 

Target and Columbia Sportswear are two clothing retailers that are working to increase clothing recycling. Columbia announced last month that it is enhancing the purpose its ReThreads program for a limited time, donating $1.00 to select non-profit organizations for every pound of clothing and shoes collected at its stores in March. And Target announced its own new take-back program, offering customers in the Pacific Northwest a 20% discount on new jeans when they exchange old denim clothing.

 

Textile Industry Sees Growth in Responsible Manufacturers

It’s common in sustainability news to see announcements of clothing manufacturers launching initiatives to become more responsible. In recent news, for example:

G-Star announced that it uses 100% organic cotton, which one of the company’s sustainability leads told Forbes “doesn’t use any pesticides that are unnatural, synthetic or chemical that, in the end, take away from the soil richness and makes the crop water-intensive.” According to the company, its organic crops are grown from non-genetically modified seeds and the majority of global production is rain-fed. The company also developed a new indigo technology that uses 70% less chemicals, no salts, and produces no-salt byproduct.

Retailers H&M and Nike have joined the Circular Fibres Initiative with a goal of building  “a circular economy for textiles,” starting with clothing.

Last month, Ramblers Way announced the availability of what it claims is the first ever Cradle to Cradle Certified organic wool clothing line in the world. Ramblers Way offers 16 styles that are certified at the Silver level – 10 for women and six for men – using the company’s organic wool jersey and low-impact colors.