Denim is the backbone of JACK & JONES. We wear it, we work with it and we can not imagine the world without it.

We want to create great jeans for generations to come, and that means using the planet’s resources responsibly. It is a big part of our A/BETTER WORLD promise, so we are stepping up our Better Materials game with fully recyclable, organic cotton styles that are gold-level Cradle to Cradle Certified®*. We launched our first Cradle to Cradle Certified jeans in the beginning of 2022. The jeans combine a whole host of safer production techniques that bring together everything we have learned about jeans since we started making them 30 years ago.

WHAT IS CRADLE TO CRADLE CERTIFIED®?

Cradle to Cradle Certified® products are made from materials that can be safely reused, in a way that is more respectful of people and the planet. It is a way of designing that uses less resources and makes them go even further, building circular systems in which we can keep reusing what we have instead of taking more.

The criteria span five sustainability categories – material health, material reuse, water stewardship, social fairness and renewable energy and carbon management. Products are rated based on their scores in each section, and we are proud to say that our jeans got the gold.

WHAT IS IN OUR GOLD-LEVEL CRADLE TO CRADLE CERTIFIED® JEANS?

Every element that goes into making our CRADLE TO CRADLE CERTIFIED® jeans to meet the same rigorous criteria as the final product. That does not just mean the fabric, the buttons and the labels – we are talking about the raw fibers in the fabrics, and the chemicals used in the production process.

We have been working with Artistic Milliners— a LEED® certified manufacturer in Pakistan and an industry leader in sustainable denim — to develop gold-level Cradle to Cradle Certified® denim fabric. It is made from 98% organic cotton and 2% Roica™ V550 – a degradable elastane that breaks down without releasing harmful substances into the environment.

The fabric is dyed using Artistic Milliners’ cutting-edge Crystal Clear method. It uses an organic oxidizing agent, which requires fewer chemicals and does not produce salt as a byproduct (unlike conventional indigo dyeing methods). The Crystal Clear method is gold-level Cradle to Cradle Certified®, and all the chemicals used are third party certified. The whole process reduces water consumption during dyeing by 70%. Plus, Artistic Milliners is a leading manufacturer when it comes to water stewardship; their team makes sure that 85% of the total water used ends up back in circulation and has set a target to get this up to 92%.

The metal buttons are recycled, chrome-free and detachable, and the woven labels are made from organic cotton and printed with degradable inks. We have considered everything right down to the degradable jacron patch we put on the waistband, which is made from renewable wood pulp fiber.

MOVING BEYOND TAKE, MAKE, WASTE

Our gold-level Cradle to Cradle Certified® jeans are an important step towards moving beyond a “take, make, waste” business model towards one that is more circular and sustainable. By 2025, we will have tried and tested more circular systems, working with some of the seriously cool fibers and materials being developed in our Fashion FWD Lab – an initiative run by our parent company BESTSELLER to drive innovation through collaboration. We will even be pushing forward solutions to post-consumer waste — that is, your clothes (after you have given them a nice long life, of course).

You can be a part of the change too, by prolonging the life of your Cradle to Cradle Certified® jeans and following the tips in our Caring for Your Clothes guide.

Our ultimate goal is to set up systems that will serve us for the future. And if there is one thing we know about good jeans, it is that they never go out of style. So, we are committed to producing them better, working today for the denim lovers of tomorrow.

*Cradle to Cradle® is a registered trademark of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC (MBDC). Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM is a certification mark licensed exclusively for the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. For more information about the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and a list of the full program criteria, visit www.c2ccertified.org.