Cotton Incorporated Marks Blue Jeans Go Green’s 20th Anniversary

Over the last two decades, Cotton Incorporated’s denim recycling program Blue Jeans Go Green has collected more than 6 million jeans from consumers and the industry.

Last Wednesday, Cotton Incorporated gathered friends of the organization, including many of the Blue Jeans Go Green partners, in New York to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the initiative.

“Bringing everyone together in New York was an opportunity to recognize the many partners that have made this program possible over the past 20 years,” William Kimbrell, CEO and president of Cotton Incorporated, told Sourcing Journal. “It was especially meaningful to have so many of those who have contributed to the program’s success in one room. The Blue Jeans Go Green program demonstrates what can happen when an industry comes together around a shared purpose, and this milestone belongs to everyone who has recognized the lasting value of cotton, giving used denim a new life.”

Launched in 2006, Blue Jeans Go Green takes worn denim with at least 90 percent cotton content and recycles it into nonwoven insulation that can be used for home building, pet bed inserts or thermal packaging for food shipments. To date, the program has created over 12 million square feet of insulation.

“The Blue Jeans Go Green program helped demonstrate that textile waste can be viewed differently—not simply as something to discard, but as a material with the potential for another useful purpose,” said Kimbrell. “It’s a tangible example of how the natural qualities of cotton can support new applications and extend the useful life of the fiber.”

Blue Jeans Go Green’s impact has been bolstered by collaboration between the not-for-profit cotton organization and the industry. Over the course of the program, more than 100 brands have linked up on take-back programs, collecting and funneling donations for recycling. Many of these collaborations have scaled over time. For instance, Anthropologie began with a two-week pilot, which has turned into a continuous take-back program across hundreds of its stores. To encourage consumers to recycle, many brands also incentivize donations through promotions, such as a discount on a new pair of jeans.

These brand partnerships are one factor that has sustained Blue Jeans Go Green, per Kimbrell. “We’ve made recycling accessible through long-standing relationships with brands, retailers and communities,” he said. “Some of those relationships have continued for more than 15 years, which speaks to the strength of the program and the shared commitment to keeping valuable materials in use. That consistency, combined with continued consumer participation, has enabled the Blue Jeans Go Green denim recycling program to remain relevant and grow over two decades.”

One of these long-term partners is Carhartt. In its over 15-year partnership, the brand has diverted more than 67 tons of denim from landfills. “At Carhartt, we’re committed to keeping our durable gear working for as long as possible. Blue Jeans Go Green has been an incredible partner in helping us give well-worn denim a meaningful second life. Together, we’re reducing waste, turning old denim into new products and ensuring the materials in our gear get back to work, instead of ending up in a landfill,” said the brand in a statement.

The centerpiece in the event space was an art installation that visualized the magnitude of impact that Blue Jeans Go Green has had. Dubbed Mt. Denim, the piece featured a mountainous pile of secondhand jeans from the program’s brand partners, such as Paige, Levi Strauss & Co., J.Crew and Polo Ralph Lauren.

Blue Jeans Go Green began as a series of donation drives on college campuses, and the initiative has continued to work with educational institutions. These activations have contributed roughly 350,000 pieces over the years.

Reflecting on the last 20 years’ impact and the road ahead for Blue Jeans Go Green, Kimbrell noted, “We’ve demonstrated that millions of individual actions can add up to meaningful impact, keeping thousands of tons of denim out of landfills and transforming that material into something useful. Looking ahead, I see tremendous opportunity to build on that foundation. We want to engage even more consumers, expand our industry partnerships and continue exploring new ways to extend the value of cotton.”