OUTLAND DENIM OPENS SUSTAINABLE FINISHING FACILITY

by Stephen Garner Sep 17, 2019

Outland Denim has opened a new stand-alone 23,600 square foot wash and finishing facility in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, taking its production capabilities to the next level. The facility represents a new standard of vertical integration for the denim market.

Beginning with Outland Denim’s fall/winter 2019 collection, jeans will now be washed, whiskered and aged using the facility’s state-of-the-art water and energy-reducing technology.

Techniques being used include lasers, the most environmentally-friendly way to create character on jeans, removing the need for water-intensive washing and heavy chemical use.

Ozone technology, the greenest oxidizing agent available on market, using up to 65 percent less water, 20 percent less energy and 80 percent less chemical use than traditional techniques will be used. Further, E-Flow, a process which transfers wash recipes onto your jeans with up to 95 percent less water, 40 percent less energy and 90 percent fewer chemicals than traditional techniques are also being utilized.

“The opening of our first finishing facility brings with it the opportunity to continuously improve on our environmental impact, offer more and diverse employment options to people of vulnerable backgrounds, and offer customers the denim cuts and washes they love made in a way they can feel good about,” said James Bartle, founder and CEO of Outland Denim. “When it comes to social and environmental sustainability, we don’t believe you can pursue one without the other.”

In order to help combat further human and environmental threats from the use of toxic synthetic indigo dye, Outland Denim uses vegetable dyes, organic dyes and dyes tested for harmful chemicals in all production.

Outland Denim sources raw materials from suppliers who excel in social and environmental responsibility. Every button, rivet, and stitch is carefully selected by the company’s designers with the intention to minimize the impact on the environment and mitigate the risk of exploitation in the supply chain.

As the first certified B Corporation denim brand in Australia, Outland Denim has been worn by Leonardo DiCaprio, Sarah Rafferty, and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, amongst other celebrities and is now available at David Jones, Myer, Holt Renfrew, Harry Rosen, select boutiques across North America and online.