How Green Are Your Jeans Article Summary | Teen Ink

How Green Are Your Jeans Article Summary

May 1, 2009
By HomerunHitter GOLD, Rockford, Michigan
HomerunHitter GOLD, Rockford, Michigan
12 articles 16 photos 1 comment

450 million pairs of jeans are sold in the United States each year. That is 1.5 pairs for each man, woman, and child. To make these jeans, cotton crops are drenched in pesticides, fibers are stained with toxic dyes, and the resultant fabric is chemically softened to make new jeans look broken in.
You can buy jeans made of organic cotton and treated with natural dyes at an expensive price. Are they really more eco-friendly?
Although no pesticides are used with organic cotton, the per acre yield is less than regular cotton. More land must be used to produce organic cotton. It also takes a lot of water to grow both types of cotton.
The natural pigment used in eco-jeans requires chemical solvents just like regular jeans.
Eco-jeans use ozone to fade the denim. Ozone breaks down as it reacts with the fabric.
The lowest impact jeans are ones that you already own (washed in cold water and air dried).
There are major companies, such as Levi’s, Wal-Mart, the GAP, working with environmental groups to improve their methods of production. When buying jeans, do your homework-check out their web-sites.

The author's comments:
Great help to anyone who needs to do a science article report

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This article has 3 comments.


cuse_23 BRONZE said...
on Feb. 14 2014 at 12:58 pm
cuse_23 BRONZE, Ormond Beach, Florida
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
Dear HomerunHitter I am writing this comment to “How Green are Your Jeans” as a class assignment.  Your article was very interesting.  I never knew that they did that much to make jeans.  You were very knowledgeable about how the “green jeans" are made differently from the regular jeans.  If anybody would like to reply to this comment about how this problem could be solved please do so. If 450 million pairs of jeans are sold in the U.S. each year, I think that they should make them more environment friendly. Sincerely, cuse_23  

Bumbleshree said...
on Jun. 1 2011 at 5:20 pm
This is actually pretty interesting. Where did you learn about eco-jeans?

Rstar24 BRONZE said...
on Sep. 19 2009 at 5:57 pm
Rstar24 BRONZE, New York, New York
3 articles 0 photos 4 comments
I liked the idea of the article. I think it would be better if you gave more information about what specific jeans or materials are good for the environment, and which are the worst.