Dirty is the new clean - and green

Jeans. More than half the world’s population is wearing a pair right now. So imagine how many pairs are in the wash. But do they need to be? Or is dirty the new clean, and green?

By HAZAL OZTURK

BORN in the USA in 1853, jeans became the cultural symbol of rebellion and the blue-collar worker – made famous by the likes of Bruce Springsteen and James Dean. Nearly 160 years later, jeans are again leading a new wave – in environmentally friendly fashion.

Manufacturers like Levi’s and Nudie Jeans recently introduced ranges that used less water in the process of making jeans.

But new research has shown that the biggest environmental impact of jeans comes after they have been sold.

Sustainable fashion expert Tullia Jack, from RMIT, said this was because jeans were only made once but were washed and worn a many times.

But here’s the cinch – it doesn’t have to be this way.

Ms Jack’s research has found that many people wash their jeans (and other clothes) out of routine, not because they are really dirty.

Her work supports the views of some jeans manufacturers that say you do not need to wash your jeans for, at the very least, two months.

Lukas Harris, a Nudie Jeans store manager, said he recommended only washing your jeans when they need to be washed.

“At Nudie we like to recommend only washing your jeans every six months or so – the longer you can wait the better,” he said.

Levi’s store manager Douglas Chrystall, who has worked with denim for nine years, said you should not wash jeans in the first two months in order to set the cotton and dye properly.

“Personally I can go a year without washing jeans; I could go two years without washing jeans,” he said.

Now, this is about the time where you are either nodding your head, working out whether you might never have to hang a load of washing out again, or are huddled in the foetal position clutching a box of OMO to your chest. But worry not.

Ms Jack’s research, in which 31 participants wore their jeans five days a week for three months and didn't wash them, found – like that of Canadian college student Josh Le who did not wash his jeans for 15 months – that levels of bacteria did not significantly increase.

In fact, even after 15 months of wear, they were virtually the same as they had been after the jeans had been worn for 11 days. Ms Jack concluded that people were washing their clothing too much, and “not because of rational reasons; it’s more just because of routine”.

Cutting back on washing would mirror the efforts of manufacturers in making eco-friendly jeans. When Levi’s joined forces with water.org they found that you could save 500 litres of water a year by washing your jeans every other week instead of every week.

Make that two months and you save 2000 litres of water, just by refraining from washing jeans that probably are not that dirty. In two months, it is possible to save enough water to grow enough wheat to make nearly five loaves of bread (and five watermelons, in case you were wondering). And it might also improve the look and feel of your jeans.

Mr Chrystall said washing jeans less frequently does improve them.

“There’s nothing worse to me than a freshly washed pair of jeans. They’re starchy, they’re stiff, and they feel rougher. They just don't have that luxurious, soft feel that I love about my jeans.”

Ms Jack said she hoped her study would make people stop to think before they put their clothes in the wash.

“Hopefully it will extend their laundry cycle a little bit,” she said. “Instead of washing twice a week people will wash once a week; instead of washing once a week they’ll wash once a fortnight. I think that's probably where the biggest impact will come from saving water, saving energy, saving chemicals.”

Perhaps next time you go to throw your jeans in the wash after a long day, consider holding on another week. Who knows? Maybe James Dean always did.