The goal targets the fibre production, fabric construction and product finishing phases of the supply chain, which account for more than 95% of the total water.

In April, Wrangler announced it had surpassed its original 2020 goal by saving over seven billion litres of water in the product finishing phase of its denim products since 2008 – equivalent to the daily drinking water needs of almost four billion people.

Tom Waldron, global brand president at Wrangler, said: “We’re learning from our past successes in water conservation and expanding the scope of our efforts to be more inclusive of some of the biggest water impacts in our supply chain.

“Our new water goal is ambitious, and necessary. New technologies and practices will empower Wrangler to make progress and advance the industry forward in water conservation measures.”

Wrangler is collaborating with the Transformers Foundation to complete a comprehensive water balance study, which will analyse the denim industry’s water consumption by production phase. 

The brand was one of the first adopters of Indigood foam dyeing co-developed with Spanish mill Tejidos Royo (see Inside Denim Issue 1) and water efficiency measures in cotton production.

“A renewed sustainability target creates an organisational focus that enables Wrangler to create meaningful change through the conservation of water resources. Because water is a shared resource, its conservation is also a shared responsibility,” said Roian Atwood, senior director of sustainability at Wrangler. 

“Working with the Transformers Foundation will help accelerate sustainability collaboration in our industry.”

Image: Wrangler's foam dyed collection, using Tejidos' process. Credit: Wrangler