Denim Deal rolls out: First Germany, now France, soon worldwide
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Back in 2020, a global group of industry leaders came together to sign a 'Denim Deal' committed to closing the denim loop. Now, following the opening of a regional 'Germany Hub' in September 2024 - as part of efforts to establish an ecosystem associated to the Denim Deal 2.0 - a new location is set to also launch in France on October 16. Ambitions go beyond this, however, as talks are already underway for a centre in North America, and there are requests for other continents. The shared goal: by 2030, one billion jeans with a minimum of 20 percent recycled cotton are to be brought to market.
One of the proponents of a global Denim Deal is Nicolas Prophte, the former vice president at PVH in the Denim Centre and a current member of the Denim Deal Steering Committee. He told FashionUnited more about the introduction of the deal. “We didn’t want to stop after the first Denim Deal,” explained Prophte during a video call. “It would be a shame if we had a key to success and left it at that. We have the methodology and industry guidelines to implement the Denim Deal in other parts of the world.”
The Denim Deal was signed on 29 October 2020 by 28 parties. It ran until 2023, with the number of signatories increasing to 54. The three stated goals: 1. The participants in the agreement should incorporate at least 5 percent recycled cotton into new products. 2. They should set and achieve their own targets for the use of recycled cotton. 3. The participating parties also set their own targets to achieve the common goal of three million jeans on the Dutch market containing at least 20 percent recycled cotton.
The result: Three million jeans with 20 percent recycled cotton on the Dutch market were not achieved, but a total of 12 million jeans with a recycling content of at least 20 percent came to the international market. The Dutch market proved too small to achieve this level, as almost every pair of jeans from the participating brands would have to contain 20 percent recycled cotton.
At the end of the campaign, 63 percent of all denim items brought to the Dutch market by the participants contained at least five percent recycled cotton; at the beginning, this figure was only eight percent.
Regional centres are thus being opened in Europe - “We believe that English is good for the international Denim Deal, but to involve local actors, you have to use the native language,” states Prophte - but Brazil, North America, South Asia and Asia-Pacific are also being targeted. There are already advanced talks with the state of California about setting up a Denim Deal, especially now that the state has voted for its own extended producer responsibility (EPR). Regional centres are also important because legislation often varies from region to region. France, for example, is already further ahead with the EPR, which has been implemented for almost ten years. “You have to adapt to local conditions,” says Prophte.
When choosing the location of these local centres, the team looks at, for example, where there are many denim producers and in which countries many consumers wear denim. One such country is Brazil, says Prophte. “There are several large denim producers in Brazil, and it is also a protectionist market when it comes to imports and exports.” Prophte confirms that talks have already been held with key local actors and the city of Sao Paulo. “They are very interested in our initiative.”
Denim Deal 'Hubs' will be independent, but work with the same methodology
“All centres will be independent in terms of management and budget and will pursue their own goals to contribute to the overall goal, but will use the same methodology and reporting system. Sometimes this also includes the same workshops or even regulations,” explains Prophte.
Using the same methodology and reporting system sets an industry standard and allows all participants to demand the same from their partners. “We want to create a demand for recycled cotton and ensure that we demand the same from suppliers from a brand perspective,” adds Prophte. He points out that everything is currently inconsistent in the industry and brands are demanding all sorts of things from their suppliers, so changes are slow to come. If you make the same demand with a large group, progress can be made quickly.
While the first Denim Deal was funded by the Dutch government, Denim Deal 2.0 now needs to find new funding. “We don’t want to be dependent on public funds. We are now looking for an alternative business model for ourselves,” says Prophte. The partnership will therefore be a combination of public and private funds. “We are not looking for funding for one year, but for a stable stream of finance for five or even seven years. So we are looking for grants and scholarships." A system has also been set up where participants in Denim Deal 2.0 can choose a membership, which includes the participation fee of 2,500 euros. There are “Standard”, “Momentum-Keeper” and “Steering Committee” options, allowing participants to decide for themselves how far they want to go.
There are not only costs for participants, but also benefits. By participating in the initiative, it is easier to engage in dialogue with competitors and colleagues to make your own company, as well as the entire industry, more sustainable.
In addition, the Denim Deal offers training and workshops that help participants on their journey, and according to Prophte, are also a strong example of “myth-busting”. For example, there is still the prejudice that recycled material is not as stable as new material. Participating also means access to a lot of knowledge. These participants include fashion brands, retailers, textile collection and recycling companies, textile and yarn producing companies and other stakeholders within the production chain.
There are still many wishes and possibilities for Denim Deal 2.0. With California, the originally Dutch initiative would take the first step across the Atlantic. The first Denim Deal has shown that great progress can be made through collaboration. Now it’s time to bring the deal’s “best practices” to the rest of the world.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.NL. It was translated to English using an AI tool called Genesis and edited by Rachel Douglass..
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