Madewell Focuses on Regenerative Cotton and Bluesign-Approved Denim
Jeans have proven to be a gateway to more responsible manufacturing for Madewell, which established a five-pillar denim sustainability strategy last year.
The J.Crew Group-owned brand’s new 2022 ESG “Do Well” report outlines the inroads it has made in fostering regenerative agriculture, promoting circularity through resale and supporting Fair Trade Certified players in its supply chain.
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With denim being Madewell’s largest category by volume, Libby Waddle, J.Crew Group CEO, said bringing together all of the company’s sustainability initiatives under one umbrella “ensures we’re tracking towards our goals.”
Fibers First
Madewell’s use of cotton, which is used in 92 percent of its denim, is being closely tracked. Cotton is 61 percent of the brand’s total fiber use, followed by leather (15 percent), polyester (6 percent), man-made cellulosic fibers (5 percent) and nylon (3 percent).
In 2022, 53 percent of the cotton Madewell used came from “more sustainable sources,” meaning it is a little more than halfway to its goal of 100 percent by 2025.
Conventional cotton and BCI cotton made up the majority of Madewell’s usage of the fiber in 2022, each totaling 47 percent. Organic cotton accounts for 4 percent, followed by recycled cotton, regenerative cotton and U.S. Trust Protocol Cotton.
To counter the environmental impact of using conventional cotton, the company is taking first steps to invest in regenerative agriculture which increases soil health, reduces carbon impacts, and protects biodiversity.
Approximately 12 percent of the brand’s Fall 2023 collection will be made with regenerative cotton, according to the report.
Madewell began piloting regenerative agriculture in 2021, engaging with partners in Brazil, Peru and the U.S. A year later J.Crew Group distributed over $800,000 in premiums directly to regenerative farming partners in India and the U.S., helping fund the transition to and certification of these new farming practices. Over this period, the brand reports that it has sourced over 1 million pounds of third-party certified regenerative cotton through the Regenagri standard.
Additionally, Madewell is supporting water conservation projects on Texan farms, where 80 percent of the acres of land in the U.S. regenerative cotton program are based.
Circular Mission
Resale is not only fashionable with Madewell’s core consumers, but it’s also driving the brand’s circularity efforts.
Through Madewell Forever, the in-store trade-in ThredUP program launched in 2019, the brand is working toward its goal of collection two million garments by the end of 2023. It has so far collection 1.6 million garments. The company reported that it increased its collection of denim by 222 percent compared to 2021, taking back an additional 427,988 pairs.
It also diverted 76 tons of waste from landfills through a partnership with Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green.
The brand expanded the scope of Madewell Forever in 2022 to include a curation of vintage garments available online (and at a temporary Brooklyn popup) and limited-edition upcycled collaborations. It doubled the amount of these product collaborations with partners like Rentrayage, La Reunion, Storytellers & Creators and Saitex’s Rekut program which creates jobs for people with different abilities.
Digital sampling is another way Madewell is reducing waste. The brand replaced the need for nearly 1,000 physical samples in 2022 by using 3D sample software and plans to grow its digital sample program year over year.
Goal Getter
Up next, Madewell is working to achieve goals around carbon neutrality, packaging, sustainable materials and more.
Madewell aims for carbon neutrality in its own operations by 2030. Sustainably sourcing 100 percent of its key fibers “will significantly reduce” the emissions associated with raw materials, it said. “Over the next seven years, we will continue to give preference to lower impact materials, including those that can provide carbon negative solutions, such as regenerative farming,” the brand stated.
In 2022, 41 percent of J.Crew Group’s paper and plastic packaging contained 100 percent sustainably sourced materials. The company aims to have all packaging be sustainability sourced and free of virgin plastic by 2025, a goal it will achieve by using more streamlined shoeboxes and transitioning to polybags made with 100 percent recycled content.
At 48 percent, Madewell is more than halfway to meeting its goal to have 90 percent of denim be Fair Trade Certified by 2025. However, it did see a 4 percent dip from 2021, which the company attributed to changes in its sourcing strategy.
Madewell’s partnership with Turkish mill Isko to launch the first jean made with Bluesign-approved fabric in 2022 was a springboard for more. The brand reports that it will launch 13 new styles of jeans made with Bluesign-approved fabrics this year.
