Greensboro, N.C.-based Wrangler® reports its manufacturing facilities have saved more than 7 billion liters of water during the production of denim items. The total amount of water saved is equivalent to the daily drinking needs of almost 4 billion people, and the savings have exceeded the company’s goal of saving 5.5 billion liters by the end of 2020. Since 2008, the company has increased water efficiency and recycling efforts in its denim processes. Using sequential batch reactors, microfiltration and reverse osmosis techniques, Wrangler’s plant in Torreon, Mexico, regularly recycles up to 85 percent of the water it uses. Other facilities are able to reduce water use by merging or removing finishing steps, and also using enhanced enzyme technologies. In addition to conserving water, the company reports the water it returns to local communities is cleaner than the water it took for its operations.
“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,” said Roain Atwood, senior director of Global Sustainable Business.
May/June 2020
