How we improve our washes

Most of our denim is washed down before being ready to be sold. Only dry denim styles are not. That is why they are called ‘dry’. Behind those worn-in looks, there is quite an intense washing process to give the desired result. Every denim uses different washing steps, both chemical and physical treatments, that are combined into a wash recipe. This process can take hours, sometimes spread out over several days. If conventional methods are used, they can strongly impact the environment and workers.

The denim wash recipe

Kuyichi, together with its suppliers, is committed to using techniques with lower effects. In the graph below, you can see an average wash recipe for jeans. Depending on the look you want to achieve, steps are skipped, chosen or combined. On the left side, you see the conventional way to wash jeans, and the better alternatives available are explained on the right.

How we improve the impact of denim washes

Our suppliers work with software that turns a wash recipe into an impact score. The software checks the impact in four categories: water, energy, chemicals and worker impact. We aim to get only low-impact ‘green’ scores for our denim washes. With the results and the wash recipe, we can adjust or improve washes in collaboration with our suppliers. On top of this, some of our laundries are powered with solar energy and partly recycle the water to be used again and again. In the end, the goal is always to do better for the environment and the people working in the laundry. Green scores are the reflection of green treatments, and we aim to keep achieving these results.