GREENSBORO, N.C. — In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Wrangler, a global icon in jeanswear and casual apparel, announced that its manufacturing has saved over 7 billion liters of water in the production of denim products, equivalent to the daily drinking water needs of almost 4 billion people. The savings surpasses the denim brand’s 2020 global year-end goal to save 5.5 billion liters and as a result, Wrangler plans to announce a new, more ambitious water conservation goal later this year.
Wrangler manufacturing achieved the water savings by increasing both water efficiency and water recycling in the denim finishing process since 2008. The brand’s manufacturing facility in Torreon, Mexico regularly recycles up to 85 percent of the water through sequential batch reactors, micro-filtration and reverse osmosis. At the brand’s other manufacturing campuses, efficiencies such as merging or removing finishing steps and enhanced enzyme technologies were able to reduce water use without compromising quality.
“We were able to surpass our water conservation goal due to the dedication and ingenuity of the teams that power our manufacturing facilities,” said Roian Atwood, Senior Director of Global Sustainable Business, Wrangler. “As we look to the future of water conservation at Wrangler, our approach will expand beyond internal manufacturing to push our production partners to further prioritize water savings and treatment. We encourage others to join us to continue to propel the apparel industry toward a more sustainable and responsible future.”
In addition to conserving water, the brand has high water quality standards to ensure the water returning to the local communities is cleaner than when it was taken for use. All owned and operated facilities and Wrangler suppliers are required to adhere to these strict standards.
To learn more about Wrangler sustainability initiatives, visit https://www.wrangler.com/sustainability.