BuyGreen: Men's Jeans

Well, eco-friendly equals expensive! These VERY costly jeans do not lend themselves to wide-spread use. A manufacturer of eco-friendly products that "fits" the pocketbooks of the larger majority rather than just the elite is needed in order to sustain the green wave.

I love the eco products and the colors however I have to agree with Les that only the rich and famous can afford these eco items meaning the rest of the globe keeps living an eco-less lifestyle. Maybe there should be green discounts for teachers and doctors in underserved areas of the world.

Organic Cotton PLUS Fair trade labor is a combo that should trump all other options.

I'd suggest Certified Jeans from Seattle - organic and sweatshop free!

our trusty capitolist/industrailist fashionistas riding the magic denium carpet, they ALL should be boycotted on price alone......while your at it throw red paint on (legs) of anyone who wears them.

a;lg

Although these may seem a bit expensive, I think that, especially for those who already wear premium jeans, they provide a great option. Diesel, a popular denim manufacturer, regularly charges between 2 and 3 hundred for a pair of jeans. So, how much better to know about the eco options too?

I agree - designer jeans are $100-200.
Organic is the way to go! :-)

btw: "mavi" in Swahili means... crap. Haha, seriously.

Patagonia anyone? I know their gear is aimed towards hikers/climbers and the like, but last time I checked they pushed the environmentally friendly threads as well.

Make up your mind, sillies:
Do you want the makers of your jeans to earn a living wage or do you want your jeans at Wal-mart prices? You can't have your cake and eat it, too.

I agree with Truett, Loomstate at least has sweat free denim, I'm not sure about some of the others over $100. I'm sure mavi and Levi are imported, and not fair- wage. This is a great start!

Too expensive? somebody show me some fashionable jeans under $70? Good excuse not to go green!

As a consumer, I would really appreciate some advice on finding out if these eco friendly products are also sweatshop free and fair labor and fair wage items. This goes for all merchandise. I do not shop at the mall anymore because of all these concerns. Thanks for your help.

I'll stick with US union made jeans for much less.

How about buying second hand jeans then you're really doing one step better than organic cotton. Reduce your impact and use something that's already been made. While you may lose fashion points they're definitely eco-friendly and a HELL of a lot cheaper! Besides if you're persistent then you may be surprised at the type of stuff you can find and second hand stores. And as if that wasn't a good enough reason most of those stores are operated by charities so your money goes to a good cause!

If you are rich these jeans would merit consideration.

At the lower end of the cost for these jeans I can buy 3plus top quality jeans at the upper end I can buy 9plus top quality jeans for the same price. So take a guess what i am going to do when i need Jeans.

What they are doing is creating a niche market and overcharging way over their cost to make these jeans. These jean companies are definitely into making these jeans for large profits not for saving the planet.

come on tow of those are under $100 (USD i assume) which is about £50 which is pretty cheap for a pair of Jeans.

The most eco-friendly jeans are the ones you buy at the thrift store. Goodwill is a s green as it gets!

I agree this is not a green solution for the average consumer why not do what my wife and I do and go to goodwill and buy jeans for $1.00 on there sale day. We can get a dozen pair of jeans that will last us about year. Good for the planet if ask me. And when they are done we make bags from the denim for girls to play with.

These prices are kinda cheap. The problem with eco-friendly newly made products is that they are not mass produced enough to bottom out the price. The cheap jeans you're used to don't require inspection after inspection to certify each component. They can use words like natural and other things but they could still be non-organic and sweatshop made.

When you buy eco products you have to pay for smaller runs of an item, the process of certification for all the components that go into making the product (farm inspection, labor shop inspection, transportation inspection etc) and the smaller runs, lack of being able to mass advertise and less storefront visibility leads to a small market. If the market were bigger then you'd start seeing these prices drop. Most of these looked pretty stylish.

And yes, Levi's is not green. http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/rs/profile.cfm?id=258

I was surprised H&M products didn't make the list though, they are cheap and while they may not be growing grass in the back pocket, H&M proactively make certain they leave as small an environmental impact as posssible while making sure the workers making their clothes are taken care of as well.

If people want me to stop shopping at Walmart they'll have to do better than a $100 pair of jeans. :(

I'd have to agree. Those are ridiculously expensive! For that money you can buy decent jeans from a thrift store or you can get clearance jeans, which'll probably end up in the trash otherwise... or you countless other options. Plus, with the money you save, you can donate that to the green charity of your choice.

Make a difference in your community and keep the "green" profiteer sharks at a distance.

Interesting that they focused on designer jeans. None of the companies mentioned are practicing sustainable methods. Prana and Patagonia should be held in the spotlight for their social and environmental practices.

The comment made regarding shopping at goodwill and second hand stores is valid. Buying second hand is more green than buying organic cotton new. What's more is wearing clothes until they wear out, patch them, and wear them some more.

Fashion is ludicrous.

I shop at thrift stores and consignment stores whenever possible. Not only are you helping to keep down waste but you can find fabulous brand-name designer items that are barely used or sometimes have the tags still on them.

Not only that, but even if the material that the clothes are made of aren't "organic" since they've already been worn and washed a few times your body won't be absorbing any of those nasty chemicals, fertilizers or pesticides!

the article said it best... wear out current until you can't wear them anymore. and get your kids out of the mindset that they need 15 pairs.
then buy second hand.

i love the walmart excuse... people shop at walmart, cause it's "cheaper" while they squander their money elsewhere. they shop at walmart and then have the premium package cable tv and internet. never mind the fact that any one of these jeans will last probably 3 to 4 times longer than your crappy walmart jeans. no one can see the forest through the trees anymore, we've all been so brainwashed, and we're too damn lazy to figure it out for ourselves, that's what's killing the movement. not a pair of $68 jeans.

not to mention what walmart does for the american economy... that's a whole other topic.

try www.goodsociety.org its a new label and does organic and fair trade overseas.

fyi -- those levis aren't accurately depicted AT ALL. wrong name/price/photo

Everyone is looking for the easy way out as usual. Our ancestors are about as green as you can get, they made their own clothes and sometimes shoes and that's if you really know your ABC's and 123's. Why sit all day gripping about what a rip it is to sell jeans at that price and just learn to take care of yourself and means. That is what going green is, doing what others can't do because of laziness. learn to make your own clothes and jeans and wearing things that others wear is so robotic and mindless that alot of you just rather follow the blind man over the cliff other than educate your abilities. How is it you think a trend is started anyway? It's not by doing what everyone else is doing, I know that much. Making your own clothes is easy after you get the hang of it and so much better to appreciate. Why do what Wal-Mart is doing or any other big department store? They are looking at you thinking , "What idiots! They would buy anything to just buy it!" Have a purpose and quit your bellyaching and learn a trade that can only benefit you and family not fill more land fills with packaging and by the way how much stuff has anyone bought last week and now it is about to be thrown out this week? I respect you all and input but really now, the complaining is a bit much when nothing is being done to counteract the bitching.

I'm with the buy at the thrift store/goodwill -- If you really need new ones buy the most eco-friendly sweatshop free etc. and only where them when absolutly necessary ...

I get home I change into my thrift store clothes and I always wear tshirts so I don't have to wash my overshirts as often either.

People always think that conventional clothing is so cheap as compared to organic and fair trade clothing well here is a huge point people seem to miss. The government gives the cotton industry adn the oil/pesticede industrys billions in dollars of subsidies which we pay for in taxes so if you factor in the taxes its really not much more expensive if not the same price. Therefore the less we consume of the conventional brand the less we will have to subsidies and the less tax money we will have to spend on environmental destruction. The same goes for the organic food market plus you cant put a price on the planet.

I make a lot less then you think (10K or less for the last decade). There is no substitute for quality. I've tried a lot of jeans. Sure, I have a pair from the Gap clearance shelf, $15, but after selling 2 pairs of Diesels (over $200 each) for food and rent; I had to go out and buy another pair. I won't waste my time with cheap jeans, but I won't have more then a pair or two. Moderation. None of these are too expensive. I won't skimp here.

FYI I've seen Guess has "green" styles as well.

I actually feel very strongly on these comments because I produce a clothing line that uses organic cotton, hemp etc...

The price issue is always such a hard thing, I always try to keep my prices accessible to everyone. If someone comes in my store and I know they can't afford full price I always give them a discount and don't tell them why I am giving it to them.

It hurts when someone looks at one of my sweaters and scoffs at the price while they are sporting their regular cotton lulu hoodie made in China. Anyways, the extra price from the small companies comes directly from extra costs. I manufacture in Vancouver, have my fabrics milled and dyed in Canada and donate directly to my community constantly. Top that off with using certified organic and sustainable materials. There is no competing with Old Navy prices when you are doing that.

Bottom line is though, buy one piece of good clothing filled with Soul and Love. Shake the hand that made it when you buy it and the difference of price will melt away into value. If we all started shopping organic the prices would drop. I have already seem my fabric prices dropping over the last 2 years with increased demand in the marketplace.

If you still can't afford it, come see me, I'll hook you up.

I actually feel very strongly on these comments because I produce a clothing line that uses organic cotton, hemp etc...

The price issue is always such a hard thing, I always try to keep my prices accessible to everyone. If someone comes in my store and I know they can't afford full price I always give them a discount and don't tell them why I am giving it to them.

It hurts when someone looks at one of my sweaters and scoffs at the price while they are sporting their regular cotton lulu hoodie made in China. Anyways, the extra price from the small companies comes directly from extra costs. I manufacture in Vancouver, have my fabrics milled and dyed in Canada and donate directly to my community constantly. Top that off with using certified organic and sustainable materials. There is no competing with Old Navy prices when you are doing that.

Bottom line is though, buy one piece of good clothing filled with Soul and Love. Shake the hand that made it when you buy it and the difference of price will melt away into value. If we all started shopping organic the prices would drop. I have already seem my fabric prices dropping over the last 2 years with increased demand in the marketplace.

If you still can't afford it, come see me, I'll hook you up.

Although these may seem a bit expensive, I think that, especially for those who already wear premium jeans, they provide a great option. Diesel, a popular denim manufacturer, regularly charges between 2 and 3 hundred for a pair of jeans. So, how much better to know about the eco options too?

I'll stick with US union made jeans for much less.

You are so full of it. Why don't I see a pair of politically correct jeans at $17.00 here? Something that perhaps the poorcan afford?