To reduce its environmental impact, American retailer JCPenney has joined The Jeans Redesign project. As a part of this project, JCPenney will base its designing and manufacturing efforts on durability standards, eco-friendly packaging, increasing organic and recycled fiber content and eco-friendly wash programs. JC Penney joins 94 other participants including major fashion brands, retailers, garment manufacturers and fabric mills. The latest design and manufacturing insights gained during this project will help the retailer drive a more sustainable future for jeans and all fashion products.

The Jeans Redesign was launched in July 2019 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) to fundamentally tackle the issue of significant waste and pollution in the fashion industry starting with one of the most iconic products: jeans. Offering a set of guidelines to make products in accordance with the principles of a circular economy, The Jeans Redesign aims to ensure durability, material health, recyclability and traceability.

The project supports organizations to build the confidence to explore and learn about how to use circular economy principles to put products on the market, says Laura Balmond, Head- Make Fashion Circular, EMF.