The search for the best sustainable denim brands starts with a reality check. Given denim’s many, many negative environmental impacts, the most eco-friendly way to find new jeans is shopping secondhand.
A second reality check: We don’t expect you to quit buying brand-new denim. (That’s not a promise we can even make.) Your best option? Seeking out denim brands that are doing their part to become more eco-conscious.
Finding jeans whose sustainability methods live up to their marketing is a challenge: According to Edited, a retail marketing firm, listings of so-called “sustainable” denim have increased 176% since 2019 and 52% since 2020. So we surveyed the sustainable denim landscape to find labels who are putting in the work to make the best eco-conscious jeans. These brands’ efforts span the entire production process, from the materials sourced to the cut-and-sew tech used. While a one hundred percent sustainable pair of jeans doesn’t exist yet, the following eleven brands make denim you can feel better buying.
Pangaia is as focused on eco-conscious materials as designs you’ll want to live in. When the brand introduced denim in October, we knew it would be a game-changer. Its approach to classic jean silhouettes blends certified organic cotton with regenerative Himalayan nettle—making jeans that are both soft to the touch and intended to be recycled when they’re worn out.
Repurposing used denim is in Re/Done’s DNA. The brand began upcycling vintage Levi’s in 2014 and has since turned more than 225,850 landfill-bound garments into upcycled pieces. Re/Done is now carrying its affinity for stretching a jean’s life cycle into every aspect of its business. Recent eco-minded initiatives include shipping orders in reusuable and returnable packaging (to cut down on waste) and offsetting carbon emissions from every order placed—past and present.
Warp + Weft hits the right shopping notes for a modern denim brand—its jeans are available in sizes 00-24, and every style is less than $110—but sustainability initiatives are where the brand really shines. It reduced the amount of water used per pair of jeans to 10 gallons from 1,500; 98% of the water that goes into its denim is treated and recycled for additional use. Warp + Weft also prioritizes people in its definition of eco-friendliness, guaranteeing ethical conditions and fair wages and hours for its factory employees.
For an even closer look at how the denim gets made, the brand has a virtual factory tour where you can see the supply chain in action.
After decades leading the world of denim, the home of 501 is revamping its commitments to eco-friendly design. Some jeans, like the pair here, weave cotton with Tencel (a responsible fiber derived from wood); others are made with proprietary tech that reduces the water needed for each pair and cuts down on waste. By 2025, Levi’s hopes to incorporate one hundred percent sustainably sourced cotton into its jeans, and power all its facilities with renewable energy.
Part of Levi’s approach are services to make your favorite jeans last as long as possible. Send your damaged denim to its Tailor Shop for a light touch-up, or skip the brand-new jeans for a used pair in the Levi’s secondhand shop.
Reformation is more than Instagrammable sundresses and vintage-inspired denim. The brand is committed to eco-conscious production across its products, including jeans in straight and extended sizes. Certifications you’ll find at the LA label include releasing net-zero carbon emissions (vetted by the nonprofit Climate neutral) and a proprietary RefScale that tracks the environmental impact of every garment on every shopping page.
To extend the lifecycle of its denim with more recyclable materials, it joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Jeans Redesign program this year. Reformation also shares quarterly reports detailing how its sustainability efforts are improving, which anyone can access here.
DL1961 started using upcycled materials before reducing and reusing became mainstream in fashion. Your trash is the foundation of their treasured (and soft) jeans: a blend of thrown-out denim, recycled water bottles, and eco-friendly fibers are shredded and rewoven to create each pair. Before placing your order, you can go behind-the-scenes at their family-owned factory to learn more.
Boyish denim is all about minimalism, both in the menswear-inspired fit of its jeans and the reduced environmental impact from its production practices. Eco-mindedness is crucial to every step in crafting Boyish’s perfect kick flares, from the weave of each jean (including deadstock fabrics and eucalyptus-based Tencel) to the third-party verifications backing the safety of its factories. It’s also building a circular supply chain as a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Jeans Redesign project—meaning that many materials going into a pair of Boyish jeans can be used again…and again.
Kuyichi has championed better denim production since 2000 and its commitment to sustainability hasn’t wavered since. All Kuyichi denim is made with one hundred percent organic cotton–which reduces carbon emissions by up to sixty percent—and some pairs incorporate post-consumer recycled denim. Transparency isn’t just a buzzword at Kuyichi: The brand shares an updated list of its suppliers twice per year, so you can trace exactly where every rivet and thread in your jeans came from.
The boldest commitment Kuyichi made is its limit on the jeans it makes. To curb overconsumption and focus on jeans you’ll always wear, Kuyichi only sells a few timeless styles—and there are never sales.
Rails is new to the eco-friendly denim game, but its early styles are trending in a clean direction. All jackets and jeans in the fall capsule are made with recycled materials and Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) certified cotton. (Translation: This cotton meets seven criteria for improved sourcing, ranging from safe working conditions to responsible land use.) Adding Rails’ denim to your wardrobe also gives back. For every pair purchased, Rails will provide a year of safe water access to families in need through a partnership with the international nonprofit Water.org.
Allow celebrity-favorite denim brand Frame to reintroduce itself as a home for responsible denim. Since 2019, the brand has rolled out a slew of improved supply chain practices including integrating recycled materials into jeans, cashmere, and even pocket liners. Frame wants its shoppers to reuse, too: In a partnership with resale site ThredUp, you can request a ThredUp shipping label to list old jeans on its marketplace and earn a credit back to Frame for what you sell.
One note: Some Frame styles aren’t yet made with eco-minded materials, so look out for the “Sustainable” tag when shopping Frame’s site.
To move forward in eco-consciousness, Mother denim has looked back–at its used jeans, that is. Mother’s 60% Mother collection incorporates upcycled materials from its own deadstock collection and discarded vintage. The results are one-of-a-kind pieces that are also sustainability-minded. A second installment of the capsule featuring model and environmental activist Caroline Murphy arrived this October, featuring repurposed textiles in quilted, Americana accents. The brand is also donating $50,000 to the Sierra Club to protect U.S. lands and water supplies.