Recycled Denim

Recycled Denim: better for planet and people

Cotton is often called a thirsty crop, for which inefficient farming and irrigation techniques are to blame. A conventional pair of jeans requires on average 3 kg of raw cotton and consequentially, 7000 liters of water.

Globally, cotton is mostly grown in mono-culture, around 2,5% of the total agriculture land is used for cotton farming. On top of that the sector annually consumes around 16% of the total insecticides and pesticides budget, leaving a massive negative impact on the environment, local communities and biodiversity. 

At HNST we make jeans like all jeans should be made, with a minimal impact on people and planet. 

The product with the lowest impact is the one that already exists, that's why the raw material of our jeans is recycled denim. With the use of mechanical recycling we're able to recycle old jeans at the fiber level.

A process that takes place in Germany, the result: recycled cotton fibers. In Belgium these fibers are blended with Tencel and spun into the HNST yarn, after which they travel to Italy to weave the HNST fabric. 

HNST jeans contain 56% recycled cotton, 23% Greek cotton and 21% Tencel. As a result they only require 361 liters of water per pair. Which means we are reducing water consumption with 95%, compared with industry standards. 

Read more about HNST or discover the impact of recycled denim.