Indigo is one of the reasons why we all love denim so much. The deep blue tones, the washed look, and the way it fades over time, we have to thank indigo for it all. But turning denim blue is not as easy as you might think. So, how does indigo dyeing work? And what are the pros and cons? Let’s dive in!

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The environmental impact of indigo dyeing

Because of the use of many different chemicals and big amounts of water, the dyeing process is one of the most impactful processes in manufacturing jeans. In the process, chemicals like caustic soda, sodium hydrosulfide and wetting agents are used. Most of these can be filtered out by a good wastewater system, which our factories have all in place. Still, one of the biggest issues of synthetic indigo dyeing is that salts are formed in the process. These salts are not bio-degradable and almost impossible to filter out of the water. Therefor they are released into natural waters, which has a negative impact on the local environment.