“From the cotton field to the finishing process, water is essential to creating your favorite pair of Wrangler jeans, and it’s also essential to local communities and future generations,” said Tom Waldron, EVP, global brand president - Wrangler. “We’re incredibly proud of reducing our ecological footprint through water efficiency and recycling, and are committed to continued conservation throughout our supply chain, while also prioritizing product innovation that finds new ways to use water responsibly and return it back clean to the communities who depend on it.”
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.”