Wrangler launches sustainable foam-dyed denim line Indigood

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jun 10, 2019

Kontoor Brands-owned jeans label Wrangler has announced that it has become the first brand to sell foam-dyed denim with the launch of the first collection of its new sustainable Indigood line.

This concise debut collection includes two pairs of men’s jeans, two men’s jackets and two men’s Western shirts, as well as one pair of jeans, a Western shirt and a jacket for women. All pieces are made from 28-30% recycled cotton.

The foam dyeing technology used by Wrangler for this collection removes the need for water vats and chemical baths from the denim dyeing process, resulting in a waterless method which virtually eliminates wastewater and reduces both energy consumption and overall waste by more than 60% when compared to traditional dyeing methods.

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The technology was developed in partnership with Texas Tech University, which Wrangler provided with early-stage funding and technical guidance, and the company is now working to scale the process in collaboration with denim mills in both Asia and North America.
 
The new Indigood line is part of Wrangler’s wider commitment to sustainability, which includes a pledge to be powered by 100% renewable energy and source 100% sustainable cotton by 2025.
 
By 2020, the brand, whose parent company Kontoor Brands was recently spun off from VF Corporation, also intends to conserve 5.5 liters of water at its owned and operated facilities and remove 100% unwanted chemistry from its supply chain.
 
Should the brand achieve them, these objectives can be added to Wrangler’s existing environmental and social achievements, which include saving 3 billion liters of water at its facilities between 2007 and 2017, as well as the launch of the Wrangler Science and Conservation Program encouraging best practice among US cotton growers in 2017.

All five of the company’s US-based distribution centers are also certified zero-waste facilities.

With the launch of its latest sustainable initiative, however, the brand is not only reaffirming its eco-credentials, but also tapping into one of the moment’s hottest trends, as brands as diverse as Tommy Hilfiger and Primark try to show their concern for the environment with their own sustainable denim lines.
 
The first Wrangler collection of foam-dyed denim is now available as part of the brand’s Icons F/W ’19 collection.