Dye

Dyeing denim is one of the most water and chemical intensive parts of the denim production process. Neither natural nor synthetic dyes naturally bind to cotton, so many chemical dyeing auxiliaries are used to turn cotton blue. 

When left unregulated and untreated, toxic dye baths are dumped into water streams and not only turn fields and rivers dark blue, but pollute and disrupt ecosystems that are connected to these water streams.

What is SOURCE doing? 

Our denim is produced with a biopolymer derived from food-waste that replaces most of the chemical dyeing auxiliaries and enables dyes to bind to cotton naturally, reducing our chemical use by 60% and water and energy use in the dyeing phase by 80%. Our denim uses a pre-reduced, water-saving synthetic indigo dye that is sourced within the same region as our denim mills to reduce our carbon footprint.