The world of denim is one that’s notoriously damaging to the environment. Approximately 2 billion pairs of jeans are crafted each year, which require 2 million tonnes of chemicals plus an estimated 2,360 litres of water per pair. The environmental sum of these different streams of energy consumption renders denim as one of fashion’s worst eco offenders.

It’s precisely with these figures and the reality of the damage that denim can do in mind that high street stalwart H&M has crafted its first denim collection crafted from 100% pre-consumer recycled denim. 

The 10-piece collection, which has been crafted in an accessible palette of true blues and vintage-esque greys and blacks, is the retailer’s first foray into using recycled denim in its collections, with everything, including the metal zips, crafted from recycled materials. 

Far from being the first eco step in the right direction for the brand, H&M launched an in-store recycling initiative last year, aimed at helping customers to think more about the circularity of the fashion industry. The Swedish brand confirmed that it has collected about 40,000 tonnes of garments since launching its scheme in 2013, which it passes on to its partner recycling plant in Berlin. 

The steps are inline with H&M’s aim of using 30% recycled materials by 2025 in all of its products.

Images: courtesy of H&M.