ADRIANO GOLDSCHMIED
(04) FOUNDER, GENIOUS GROUP
Sustainability in denim business involves farming, indigo dye production, chemistry, textile machine makers, spinning, weaving, indigo dye systems, fabric finishing, garment design, pattern making, cutting and sewing, garment finishing, creating energy, transportations and many other elements. Clearly, there isn’t a ‘secret weapon’ that could improve them all at once. Only a combination of initiatives in every area can transform denim from the second most polluting industry to a sustainable one.
Lately, there has been a lot of discussions around garment finishing. The introduction of new machines like Ozone and Laser, as well as water recycling and new methods and wash formulas, brought a dramatic improvement. But all the other steps involved in making a jean require the same attention.
Luckily, change is underway. Take, for instance, the inventions by HUUE: through a biological process, they plan to produce indigo dye from sugar cane, eschewing the toxic method we use today.
In the end, the most game-changing innovation is collective awareness of the importance of sustainability.