Jeans and Denim

It's hard to imagine a closet without jeans. The eternally young, mostly blue fabric is certainly the most popular item of clothing worldwide. On average, every German has around eight pairs of jeans in his or her closet, and worldwide, far more than one billion pairs of jeans are produced every year.

Originally, the main wearers of denim jeans were the gold miners in the American West in the mid to late 19th century, as the solid fabric was ideally suited to the physically demanding work. Its use as workwear ensured that denim was long considered clothing for the lower classes.  

The movie industry in the USA contributed significantly to the image change of the classic. Authentic and rugged cowboys wearing Levi's jeans became a myth. Jeans became a synonym for a life of independence and individualism. Rebellious bikers in jeans, T-shirts and leather jackets further enriched the jeans image with rebellion and danger in the 1950s.

Denim was cool and in vogue. The global success story was unstoppable. Jeans and their designs thrive on the "used look" and have since become increasingly multifaceted. The possibilities of individualization and constantly changing fashion finishes through bleaching, used look or intensive washing are seemingly limitless.

But the success of denim has its price. The production of denim and the resource-intensive treatment of the raw jeans have an immense environmental impact. The high use of water and energy, as well as the chemicals used in conventional processes that lead to contaminated wastewater, are a strain on people and the environment.

It has been clear for years that efforts to make the production of jeans more sustainable are urgently needed and that there is immense potential for optimization for the environment and people. Fortunately, a rethink is currently taking place among buyers as well as fashion brands and their suppliers. The transformation of the denim industry is now in full swing and leading fashion companies, manufacturers, suppliers and organizations in the denim industry are working hand in hand in their sustainability efforts. In the field of denim finishing, CHT Group is contributing to the positive change with many innovative product and process solutions and is making a major contribution to resource-saving and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. Especially in the production countries with mass production.