Drought Threatens LA's Denim Industry

One sector scrambling to find more ways to conserve water is Los Angeles' denim industry

Of the approximately 40,000 people the garment and fashion industries employ in Los Angeles County, many work for companies thatdesignand sell high-end blue jeans that are sold across the country and exported around the world.

These companies have already beenchallengedbecause of past threats of aEuropean tariffon American denim jeans, as well as the constant specter of jobs going overseas in the name of slashing costs. Denim manufacturers and blue jeans designers in the Southland, however, continue to be resilient. But now concerns over water restrictions due to theCalifornia droughthave put many of these companies on edge.

The push to conserve water began long ago at the start of the industry's supply chain. Companies such as 10-year-oldBlue Creations, a denim manufacturer in Carson, have started to use alternative methods to treat denim other than using copious amounts of water.Machines that use ozonein place of some, if not all, water used in treatments such as stonewashing have reduced the need for water, chemicals and energy. Other companies, including American Apparel, began to incorporate more low-impact dyes that have little or no toxic chemicals into their manufacturing processes. Such dyes have a higher fabric absorption rate, nixing the need for mordants, the substances that help affix dyes to textile fibers.

One of the larger denim manufacturers and designers in the Los Angeles area isAG Jeans, a popular brand that offers jeans that cost up to US$300. The company has already tried to minimize its environmental impact through the use of more sustainable fibers, such asTenceland Modal, and has invested in technologies in order to reduce its water consumption. According to the company, its use of ozone technology to treat denim has saved millions of gallons annually — 50 percent since implementation in 2010.

Companies such as AG Jeans face many challenges in order to meet the expectations of quality their customers demand because those buyers are not necessarily focused on the sustainability of their garments. At the same time, they are offering decent paying jobs in a sector that has largely departed from the United States. Onerous water restrictions and the threat of higher rates — and even fines for excessive water use — could push these companies to lay off local employees and move overseas, perhaps to countries with lax regulations that are also suffering from water scarcity.

Source: TriplePundit

Read More Related Content On This Topic - Click Here

Media

Taxonomy

• Textile
• Drought
• Conservation
• Water Supply