Compostable clothing can essentially be consumed by the soil, once it is disposed. Textiles made of 100% natural fibres with no chemical treatments fall into this category. Pre-1980s, pure-cotton denim jeans were once a viable candidate; albeit questionable, given the chemical usage across their production cycle. However, the advent of skinny jeans compounded the problem – as traditional petroleum-based spandex was blended with cotton, and sustainable denim became a myth.
The fashion industry credits Peter Golding, English fashion designer, with the creation of stretch denim in the late 1970s. Little did he know the impact that denim blended with elastane like spandex and Lycra would have on the environment.
Until recently, these wardrobe staples ended up as just another criminal item of clothing, releasing methane into landfills. Though many fashion brands have released capsule collections of sustainable denim, through recycling, upcycling and fabric innovation – the most recent development across the denim industry has been about perfecting ‘biodegrable denim.’
Introducing biodegradable denim, circa 2019
In the race for sustainable innovation, biodegradable fashion ranks high. In collaboration with Dutch brand Denham, Italian denim mill Candiani launched the first pair of denim biodegradable stretch jeans in 2019. Tests were carried out to ensure that the jeans actually disappear into the soil when left to decompose. The disintegration was non-toxic to soil, plants and animals.
So what is Coreva? Candiani’s patented plant-based Coreva stretch technology replaces synthetic petrol-based elastane with a renewable, plastic-free alternative sourced from 100% natural rubber. Their stretch denim is custom-engineered by wrapping organic cotton around this natural rubber core. The rubber fibres in Coreva undergo a tweaked vulcanization process that differs from the regular mode in that it produces no heavy metal residue and creates an elastic fibre that is completely biodegradable. Further, all Coreva fabrics are fully recyclable, as the rubber/elastane and cotton can be mechanically separated due to their different physical properties.
Since its launch, renowned names in the sustainable fashion landscape have collaborated with Candiani to create collections using Coreva Denim. These names include Stella McCartney and LA-based brand Triarchy, among others.
For denim to decompose, it takes more than just natural fabric sources. Plastic-free alternatives are necessary across various components of the production – including dyeing and finishing treatments. Candiani spearheads sustainable denim innovation and has recently purchased the patent for a new technique to extract indigo dye using natural fungi.
IMAGE: via Calik Denim | IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A pair of denim jeans left to decompose in soil
Soon, it could take just 210 days to decompose your jeans
The fashion industry’s legislative progress is slow, and currently no specific norms dictate certification processes for compostable textiles. The standards followed are similar to those set for packaging, i.e., fibres or materials must degrade to 90% in 180 days, releasing no toxic substances into the soil in the process.
Calik Denim, a Turkish mill, is rising to the challenge. In 2022, at Denim Première Vision, Milan, the company debuted their latest product, B210: denim that dissolves into nature within 210 days.
In a hybrid process that combines yarn technology with finishing techniques, B210 is applicable across a range of denim fabrics, including stretchy denim. Serhat Karaduman, CEO of Calik Denim, revealed that rigid denim made of 100% pure cotton doesn’t require any special processes as it can dissolve into nature in approximately six months. B210 products have a composition of recycled and virgin cotton, along with 8% recycled, biodegradable Lycra T400. Interestingly, the company has revealed that the denim degrades at a faster rate when treated to stonewashing and bleaching. Currently, tests have revealed that B210 maintains 99% biodegradability within 210 days.
Karaduman shares that many clients are rolling up their sleeves in anticipation of this technology, revealing names such as Hugo Boss, Banana Republic, Kings of Indigo and Mavi as interested partakers.
The denim industry needs to say PLA PLS!
PLA, or polylactide, is a plastic-free polyester alternative. It is a bio-based, degradable fibre that is sourced from renewable agricultural raw materials. Completely devoid of crude oil, PLA comes from vegetable starches in sugar cane, corn and sugar beets used in industrial feedstocks. PLA fibres do shed just like any other synthetic fabric, but they degrade into biomass, which is consumed by nature. Clearly, PLA is the solution that can feed the fashion industry’s appetite, with a more is less mantra!
In 2022, denim-focal brand Guess announced their Eco Earth Feel Denim, created using PLA fibres. The brand states in their press release: “Guess uses PLA to produce denim that can be degraded in an eco-friendly manner at the end of its lifecycle. The denim’s stretching quality is derived from Roica V550, which is a biodegradable stretch fabric.”
Additionally, the brand uses ‘Indigo flow clean label process’ to give the denim its vibrant dye, which reduces the usage of water up to 70% in the dying process.
IMAGE: via BeTrend | IMAGE DESCRIPTION: The Brand Guess? presents its Eco-denim collection
Looking to the past for biodegradable solutions
Once upon a time, clothing was made purely of cotton, linen, and hemp and was dyed using natural resources. Once worn out, these items would degrade into soil. With the palpable concern towards fast fashion’s single-use clothing and disposable social media OOTDs, many brands are exploring compostable clothing by turning back time.
In 2020, Lee launched a ‘Back to Nature’ denim collection, designed with fabric composites of 85% cotton and 15% flax. These jeans had rigid, stretch-free fits, due to the lack of plastic stretch-inducing fibres. While claiming ‘vintage’ inspiration for their style, the brand also ticked off a sustainability check with decomposing all-natural jeans. Similarly, AG launched ‘The Jean of Tomorrow’ in 2021 with pure hemp that could biodegrade into soil upon disposal.
The implications of decomposable fashion
Denim is not the only sector exploring compostable clothing. Many niche brands, aiming to be circular have launched collections or capsules with this ideology. Freitag was a pioneer in the field of compostable clothing.
However, compostability can be met with doubt about fabric quality and durability. Freitag later revealed that customers’ initial reaction to the brand’s compostable F-ABRIC collection was tinted with concern for longevity. With carefully thought-out care labels, this is a small hurdle to cross.
The bigger question to ask is: What does compostable fashion technology mean for fast fashion? Will it further enable such business models to continue, sans environmental and social guilt?
FEATURE IMAGE: via Medium | IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Recycle logo created with Denim fabric scraps