Australia's first certified denim B Corp Outland Denim has furthered its sustainability comittments, unveiling a new denim finishing facility.
Located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia the new 2192 square metre wash and finishing facility utilises lasers, ozone technology and the e-Flow process to reduce the amount of water, chemicals and energy used to create a pair of jeans.
Lasers are the most environmentally friendly way to create character on jeans, removing the need to use intensive washing and chemical use, while the ozone technology oxidising agent uses up to 65% less water, 20% less energy and 80% less chemical use.
E-Flow transfers the wash recipes onto the jeans using up to 95% less water, 40% less energy and 90% less chemicals than traditional techniques.
Beginning with Outland Denim’s FW19 collection, jeans will now be washed, whiskered, and aged using the facility’s state-of-the-art technology.
Founder and CEO of Outland Denim James Bartle said that not only will the facility make the manufacturing process more sustainable, but it will offer a range of employment options.
"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," he said.
As part of its comittment to using sustainable techniques, Outland Demin's jeans are created using vegetable dyes, organic dyes and dyes tested for harmful chemicals while the fabric is sourced from suppliers who are leaders in social and environmental responsibility.
Outland Denim has been sported by a range of celebrities including the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and Leonardo DiCaprio.