{"id":1711,"date":"2022-10-21T13:47:15","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T11:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/blogs\/key-learnings-from-3-sustainable-apparel-frontrunners\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T11:17:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T11:17:53","slug":"key-learnings-from-3-sustainable-apparel-frontrunners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/nl\/blog\/key-learnings-from-3-sustainable-apparel-frontrunners\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Learnings From 3 Sustainable Apparel Frontrunners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, learning about sustainable apparel is like going to school again. And like in school, there are those <\/span>straight-A students<\/b> that blurt out the answers while you still try\u00a0<\/span>to understand the question. <\/span><\/p>\n

What answers do MUD jeans, Patagonia, and MATE the label frontrunners have regarding sustainable apparel?<\/span><\/p>\n

Fancy a peek at their homework?<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we study the <\/span>concrete actions <\/b>that make these companies frontrunners. And how you can adopt their underlying values of innovation, communication, and accountability<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n

#1 Mud Jeans: Innovative To The Core<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We find MUD jeans<\/a><\/span> in the lab, the one with the glasses and the calculator. As a <\/span>natural\u2013science nerd<\/b>, Mud jeans is intensely data-driven about their innovation. By using Ecochain LCA software they measured all environmental impacts of their products. And then geeked out in chemistry and physics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In one of their factories, you can drink purified laundry water. Also, their other factories only discard clean water- Hasta la vista, water pollution.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They produce their jeans with <\/span>minimum energy and harmful chemicals<\/b>. Or ditched those chemicals completely: they make their jeans look cool with lasers and ozone. Not only better for the environment but also the worker\u2019s health!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their jeans fabrics are made from <\/span>Global Organic Textile Standard<\/span><\/span><\/a> cotton and recycled cotton. Cotton that they themselves <\/span>recycled out of old denim.<\/b> This avoids environmental impacts! They get the old denim by taking back their old jeans. And those of other brands, too!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And if it\u2019s not the end of life for a pair just yet, they offer <\/span>free repairs<\/b> on their products in the first 12 months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Main learning:<\/b> Innovating the details of your production process can have several benefits at once. Ask yourself: what does this process achieve, and is there a smarter way to do this?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Get inspired by their innovative techniques and circularity initiatives <\/span>here<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mud<\/p>\n

Mud Jeans \u2013 the world\u2019s first 100% circular denim brand. Copyrights: MUD Jeans.<\/a><\/p>\n

#2 Patagonia: Customer Communication Heroes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Outdoor brand Patagonia<\/a><\/span> is the public speaker of the class. Even better, the teacher sometimes asks them to give the class. They really make sure their customers and everyone else understand that all products, even theirs, have impacts on the environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI tell you this as CEO of a clothing company that, despite a deep commitment to responsible manufacturing, still takes more from the earth than it returns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rose Marcario, Patagonia CEO<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

They tell their customers to <\/span>not buy their products<\/span><\/span><\/a> (if they do not absolutely need them), to repair their clothing, and to keep using them for a long time. Sustainability needs not only aware brands but <\/span>aware customers.<\/b> In this, Patagonia helps its customers with a <\/span>never-expiring-free repair guarantee and DIY repair tutorials<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite (or maybe because of) calling everyone out, they became immensely popular! And all this \u201c<\/span>unwanted<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u201d attention generates <\/span>profits. Those are brought to a good cause<\/b>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n