EIM (Environmental Impact Measurement), a Jeanologia
associated reference platform for measuring the environ
mental impact of garment finishing based in Valencia, Spain, has
compiled the Denim Industry Progress and Insights 2025 report.
It analyses over 100,000 real denim finishing processes,
providing an accurate and up-to-date view of the industry’s
evolution towards more sustainable models.
EIM aims to act as a compass for the industry, enabling the
objective assessment of process impacts and supporting
decision-making towards more eco-efficient production.
The report confirms that the denim industry continues to make
progress in reducing its environmental impact. Currently, 66% of
processes are already classified as low impact, reflecting a
positive trend driven by process optimisation and the adoption of
more efficient technologies.
In terms of resource use, significant progress has been made in
optimising water and energy, although there is still room for
improvement to reach more advanced standards. Water
consumption remains stable at around 30 litres per garment,
indicating a plateau after years of continuous improvement.
Energy shows the strongest performance, with 85% of processes
classified as low impact, driven by equipment modernisation and
automation.
However, the report highlights that chemical impact remains the
industry’s main challenge, with 27% of processes still classified
as high impact. Factors such as the use of generic chemicals, a
lack of transparency in formulations and the persistence of
legacy practices such as pumice stone or potassium
permanganate finishing continue to limit progress despite the
availability of more sustainable alternatives.
At the same time, worker health impact has improved
significantly, with 68% of processes classified as low impact,
driven by the increasing adoption of automated technologies
replacing more harmful manual techniques.
“The industry has shown that it can improve when it measures
its impact, but the next step requires accelerating the adoption of
technologies and leaving behind practices that are no longer
sustainable,” says Begoña García, creator of EIM and co-author
of the report. “Today more than ever, we need reliable data to
make informed decisions and move towards a real
transformation of the industry.”