Deakin University finds a solution to closing the loop for denim

Frontier Materials (IFM) will put a new spin on vintage denim jeans, all in the name of reducing the huge environmental impact in the life cycle of the world’s most popular clothing item.

The team developed its ‘circular denim’ idea as an entry into the Global Change Award, an initiative of the H&M Foundation that provides seed funding for projects that promote sustainable fashion.

The unique process will pulverise used denim into ultrafine particles, and then coat or print the colour particles onto undyed new denim to create the typical denim appearance.

The team was awarded €150,000 in stockholm, to take their idea to industry, one of five finalists, out of a total of 2885 entries, to share in the international prize.

Team leader Professor Xungai Wang, who heads IFM and the ARC Future Fibres Hub, said on average, the life cycle of a pair of denim jeans produced more than 30 kg of CO2 and used around 3500 litres of water, the equivalent of running 44 baths.

Following is a link to the media release.