Home » New Life for Denim: PostConsumer Waste Jeans, 80% aiming to 100%

New Life for Denim: PostConsumer Waste Jeans, 80% aiming to 100%

In 1853, when a Bavarian immigrant named Levi Strauss created a new piece of clothing for miners, in the middle of American gold rush, no one could have imagined that it would become the most used garment in the world.  

The environmental impact generated in the manufacture of a pair of jeans is awesome: water consumption around 11500 litres, 32 kg of Carbon dioxide emissions, 10 kg of dyes and chemicals, release of lead and mercury into rivers. That’s why Denim post-consumer yarn developing is a priority for Vilarrasa.

For the moment we have managed successfully different projects in which we have given a second life to old jeans, turning them in new yarn for home textile clothes. The process has been full of challenges: from the source of denim, removal of metal findings, to fitting the correct blend and colour considering the type of clothing to be manufactured.

It hasn’t been an easy journey, however our message is clear: recycled denim is entirely feasible.

So far, we reached to create a new yarn including 80% of post-consumer recycled (PCR) denim. A number we are incredibly proud of. However, we are carrying internal tests to reach our aim: To be able to create 100% denim postconsumer yarn.

Today we feel ready for the next level, turning projects into standards looking for partners to contribute toward “Closing the Loop” with new solutions to make post-consumer denim textile recycling with our RESPIN line of business.

Do you want to be part of the journey? We will delighted to explore with you how we could collaborate together, changing the denim industry.  

Stay tuned for the full report on the achievements. Together we are changing the denim industry.