texfash: Supply chains are crucial to the denim industry. How does the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) affect your company's operations? What did your company have to do to ensure that things are in place?
Carmen Silla: The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) plays a vital role in ensuring that supply chains across the denim industry operate ethically and sustainably. For Jeanologia, this directive aligns closely with our long-standing commitment to transparency, human rights, and environmental protection. To meet CSDDD requirements, we have strengthened our processes to conduct thorough due diligence at every stage of our supply chain, ensuring compliance with labour standards, environmental regulations, and ethical sourcing practices.
We've implemented robust monitoring systems, and work closely with suppliers to promote sustainability standards that go beyond compliance.
The denim supply chain goes back to cotton, fields, farmers. But cotton is still maligned over its water usage, etc. How much is the myth around cotton affecting denim? How do you tackle such propaganda against cotton?
Carmen Silla: The denim supply chain indeed begins with cotton, a natural and versatile fibre essential to denim products. While cotton's water usage has raised concerns, it's important to distinguish between conventional practices and newer, more sustainable methods. Misconceptions often arise from outdated views, overlooking significant improvements in water efficiency and regenerative agriculture.
It's been 25 years since Jeanologia's laser technology was announced. What difference has it made to denim production? Could you share any comparative numbers? How do you measure the impact that it has had in all these years?
Carmen Silla: Jeanologia’s laser technology, introduced 25 years ago, has transformed denim production by drastically reducing the environmental impact and improving efficiency. The technology has eliminated hazardous manual processes like sandblasting, significantly reducing water, chemical, and energy consumption. Additionally, laser technology reduces production time and ensures consistency, enhancing both productivity and quality.
To measure our impact, we use our Environmental Impact Measuring (EIM) software, which provides precise assessments of the environmental effects associated with garment finishing processes. EIM allows laundries, brands, and retailers to evaluate their performance objectively and transparently. For example, using our technology, brands have reported improvements in their environmental impact by as much as 70–80%, with notable reductions in water and energy consumption. This comprehensive measurement tool helps establish environmental benchmarks, enabling our partners to set clear sustainability goals without sacrificing the desired aesthetics of their denim products.
