Very partners Jeanologia in sustainable denim drive

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Nov 3, 2021

Denim production, we know, traditionally comes very low on the sustainability production scale, so Very Group is out to make an eco improvement to its own-brand denim. The UK company’s signature fashion website Very has partnered with denim finishing technology specialist Jeanolgia to do just that.

Under the partnership, all V by Very denim suppliers have signed up to Jeanologia’s environmental impact measuring (EIM) platform that assesses water/energy consumption and chemical impact to score garments as low, medium or high-impact. 

The retailer will use Jeanologia’s platform to ensure that 100% of its own-brand denim production is low-impact by 2025, up from 60% currently. 

“Very and Jeanologia will now work collaboratively with suppliers to provide eduction, support and advice on improving scores by implementing more sustainable denim washing, ageing and finishing processes in factories”, Very Group said. 

The partnership supports the retailer’s wider plans to improve the sustainability of its V by Very collection, with 90% of the cotton used now coming through the Better Cotton Initiative and the recent introduction of recycled polyester into core lines of its school uniform range. 

Emma Alexander, fashion director at The Very Group, said: “As a retailer with a global footprint, we realise how important it is to reduce our environmental impact, and increasingly our customers want to know they’re buying sustainable, responsible products.

“By 2025, we want at least three quarters of the raw materials used in our own brand ranges to be sustainable and working with Jeanologia is an important step towards that goal. We still have a long way to go, but we’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far.”

Very is also a member of the Circular Fashion Partnership, which supports textile recycling in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the company is also helping to reduce clothes waste through its partnership with Re-Fashion and recently signed up to WRAP’s Textile 2030 Initiative, which supports progress towards a more circular textiles economy.