On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Wrangler announced that it has already surpassed the company’s 2020 year-end goal to save 5.5 billion liters of water since 2008.

To date, its manufacturing has saved over 7 billion liters of water in the production of denim products – equivalent to the daily drinking water needs of almost 4 billion people. As a result, Wrangler plans to announce a new, more ambitious water conservation goal later this year.

“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.”

According to the company, 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% 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.”

As part of the company’s sustainability initiatives, Wrangler is committed to conserving water in each stage in its supply chain, from cotton production to consumer use. In 2019, Wrangler became the first brand to offer denim dyed with Indigood foam dye instead of water baths – a process that uses 100% less water than conventionally-dyed denim.

Wrangler also works with agriculture industry experts, farmers and nonprofit partners to sponsor research, farmer workshops and promote soil health practices in the cotton supply. These science-backed methods can help increase yield and resilience to weather events like drought and flooding, while reducing water inputs, fighting erosion and adding more carbon into the soil.

In addition to conserving water, the brand has high water quality standards to ensure the water returning to the local communities is cleaner than when it was taken for use. All owned and operated facilities, plus Wrangler suppliers, are required to adhere to these strict standards.

Based on information provided by Wrangler