Jeanologia x Cone Denim: a mission to 'zero'
Spanish technology provider Jeanologia and US-based denim mill Cone Denim (owned by Elevate Textiles) recently announced the launch of a new denim collection, Road to Mission Zero.
The collection will officially be unveiled during this month’s digital Kingpins24 show, which runs April 20 through April 22. Specifically, the launch will take place on Earth Day, which occurs on the denim supply chain event’s final day (April 22).
Both companies share common values, a press release said - in particular, the vision to transform blue jeans into a “symbol of the new [eco-conscious environmental] rebels”, in line with the garment’s historical synonymousness with youth, rebellion and democracy.
Acknowledging how blue jeans’ popularity has resulted in “undesirable consequences”, relating to their thirstiness for water, chemicals and energy during the production process, both companies reportedly seek to catalyse positive, sustainable change among the denim community at large.
“We firmly believe that people and the planet come first and that is why we decided to embark on a very important mission: to eliminate 100% of jeans water waste from fabric to final garment by 2025,” CEO of Jeanologia, Enrique Silla, shared.
Not only will Mission Zero denim involve the reduction of water usage to “near zero” levels, but the goal will also be to return clean water back to nature.
Cone Denim president, Steve Maggard, added: “One area of particular focus for us is water conservation, which is perfectly aligned to the Mission Zero goal.
“Cone currently uses Jeanologia’s G2 Ozone finishing ranges, lasers and Bluescan machinery and we are in the process of installing a Zero Liquid Discharge wastewater treatment system at our mill in northern Mexico.”
This initial denim offering draws significantly from Cone’s Flash Finish fabrics (which, on average, save around 83% of water, 39% of chemicals and 14% of energy usage), made with Jeanologia’s “eco-efficient” G2 Dynamic ozone technology. The result is highly light-sensitive fabrics which have a “great” reaction to eco-friendly technologies and techniques and are an “eco-efficient alternative” to water-intensive and polluting finishing processes, the release continued.
Ultimately, these “sustainable” finishing technologies are central to the making of desirable denim and jeans, both companies said, without the need to neutralise the authentic look or “soul” of denim.
Image: Jeanologia/Cone Denim.
