Wrangler is using sustainable denim in its upcoming fall collection.
The iconic jeans and casual wear brand is collaborating with the Infinited Fiber Company to combine Infinna—“regenerated” fibers made with cellulose and recycled textile waste—with Wrangler’s in-house foam dye technology, Indigood.
Overall, this means less virgin cotton, a 99 percent reduction in wastewater, and 60 percent less energy use during the dying process, while Infinna fibers are fully biodegradable. The Infinited Blue FW21 collection includes sustainable takes on classic designs from Wrangler’s 74-year back-catalog, including the popular Western jacket and jeans.
“Wrangler is committed to continually pushing the sustainability standards for denim,” says Dhruv Agarwal, Senior Director of Innovation, Sustainability, and Product Development at Kontoor Brands, the parent company of both Wrangler and Lee.
“We are grateful to the Wrangler Innovation Team for their long-term support, for being one of the early adopters of Infinna, and for turning our innovation into a beautiful denim that will unlock a new level of circularity in the textile industry,” says Petri Alava, CEO and co-founder of Infinited Fiber Company.
Wrangler commits to sustainable denim
Traditional denim has a significant environmental impact.
The dying process is resource-intensive and creates extensive waste and pollution, while cotton production, in general, requires a huge amount of water and can lead to further pollution through chemical and pesticide use.
Denim’s hard-wearing durability arguably offsets this cost to some extent, but the majority of modern styles combine cotton with elastane, polyester, and other artificial fibers for a more comfortable, flattering fit.
These blends typically wear out faster than traditional denim, and their component materials don’t biodegrade. Even laundering your favorite pair of blue jeans is polluting the environment through the release of tens of thousands of microfibers per wash.
“We believe our work with Infinited Fiber Company and the introduction of Infinna once again raises the bar in terms of [the] environmental performance of our denim products without compromising the comfort and quality consumers expect from Wrangler,” adds Agarwal.
Kontoor Brands announced its first-ever global sustainability goals less than one year ago, in the midst of the record-breaking and climate change-caused Western U.S. wildfire season. According to Good On You, which assesses brands for their sustainability and business practices, Wrangler is rated “not good enough,” with just one out of five points for the planet.
The Infinited Blue FW21 collection is available online now. To learn more about the impact of fast fashion, read on here.
