Ozone techniques

Ozone is a technique that replaces stone washing but still gives our denim an authentic, used-look. This technique is a better choice because no chemicals and very little water are required.

E-flow techniques

When AIR starts to replace water... E-Flow technology is the sustainable textile solution to transfer chemicals onto garment made of any fabric. Conventionally, water is used as the carrier and, at the end of every cycle, that water, still brimming with chemical products, goes to waste.

Jeanologia's® disruptive solution has been to create a new system in which air form the atmosphere is transformed into nanobubbles where water and just the right quantity of chemical products naturally distribute themselves forming the nanobubble skin. They become the carriers of the chemical product and transmit them homogeneously onto the garment. E-Flow technology can accomplish a considerable number of finishin effects with the highest quality, a minimal amount of water and zero discharge.

Laser treatment instead of traditional washings

Laser treatment is an innovative method which gives our denims a faded 'vintage' or 'distressed' look with very little environmental impact. This treatment is done with a laser that goes over our jeans and burns in them, saving not only water but energy and worker impact too.

Jacron labels

Jeans traditionally have leather labels, but the leather industry has a significant impact on deforestation, animal welfare and water pollution. At GARCIA, we decided to replace leather for Jacron. Our jacron label looks like leather but has less impact on the environment as it is largely a paper-based material sourced from certified, sustainably managed forests.

Well, now you know a bit more about our jeans and the way we make one of the most popular kind of clothing in the world. If you've gotten yourself a pair of our jeans (we hope you enjoy them as mush as possible) we assume you share our family values too. But, do you know you can make some more effort to do better as well? Do you know that:

Better washing, that's how you do it

By taking a critical look at your own washing behaviour, you can reduce the environmental impact of your clothes. The most economical washing machine (A+++, 76kWh) uses about 10,000 liters of water at 220 washes per year. Assuming use of the eco setting, wash 40°C and 60°C.

Per wash this amounts to approximately 40-50 liters of water. For comparison: showering costs approx. 65 liters of water for approx. 9 minutes. The greatest impact of washing (approx. 80% - 90%) is caused by the temperature and thus the energy consumption of a washing machine.

If you wash your clothes at 40°C instead of 60°C, it saves about 1/3 of energy.

You can make even more of an impact by drying clothes on a clothes rack instead of putting them in your dryer. Drying a laundry load in a dryer requires a lot of heat and therefore a lot of energy.

Also consider whether washing a garment is really necessary. Clothes worn directly on skin, such as underwear, T-shirts and shirts, are often washed after a day's use. You can often wear sweaters, cardigans, jackets and jeans longer before they need a wash. Especially if they are made from natural materials such as cotton, hemp, wool and linen. Natural materials are less likely to retain odours than synthetic materials.

Finally: choose detergents with an ecolabel as much as possible. These detergents contain vegetable ingredients and are free from harmful chemicals such as synthetic dyes, brighteners, and chlorinated bleaches.

If you do not want to wash and still want to freshen up or de-wrinkle your clothes, you can also think of a biodegradable water-based spray from, for example, DFNS. 

Source: de correspondent publication date 23 September 2019.