Blue Jeans and Pollution

I am HIGHLY allergic to Potassium Dichromate... Does anyone know if they put that chemical on blue jeans? I have been breaking out from my waste down and I have avoided leather and other things I know contain Potassium Dichromate.. If anyone knows any information about this please post! Thank you!

I think you could probably run the same story on countless products. The issue is the lack of regulations, which is a huge reason so many companies have moved their production overseas. Use less, buy things that are made in countries with environmental regulations, or buy second hand, as was already mentioned. Even if the finished product is made with fair labor, the fabrics are another story all together... Thank goodness some designers are beginning to move in the direction of organics. Are you aware of www.fairindigo.com? They have organic jeans, too.

When I was a teenager, there was a great boutique in Westport that specialized in used jeans. It was considered a very cool place to shop - they had every style and size you could imagine. And yes, Karen, you live very near to Eileen's headquarters. Great company!

I totally agree with Amy's comments! It has a huge impact on the environment but not a lot of people realize it...

Amy: I agree - dyeing anything is a problem. I love the way untreated organic muslin/cotton/linen looks. Mary: Thanks for sharing the link to Eileen Fisher's Eco-line. I love her stuff!! And she's from Westchester! Rachel: You are right - reusing denim is a way to go. And they are cheaper! There are so many clean reusable used denims in the world that if we can get away with reusing them, that seems to be a better option than buying new denim.

Not good. I live in blue jeans and love them. But I haven't bought new jeans in a long time. I get them at the thrift store or buy used from ebay for ones that I know fit well. That does make it a little less of an offense, right?!

I just bought a pair of jeans, my first in about two years. I have found it very difficult to find a pair that fits perfectly, looks great feels comfortable. So, I was thrilled (and now extra thrilled after reading your post) to find a pair of petite-sized organic jeans at Eileen Fisher that seemed like they were tailored just for me. I heard Eileen speak at a women's business conference a couple of years, where she had said that she was looking for better materials, ones that had less of an impact on the environment and people. She has always made sure that the factories that manufacture her products treat their workers fairly, but she wanted to expand the amount of eco-friendly fabric offerings. I am not sure what type of dye process they use, but I did realize that I should have washed my jeans before wearing them the first time since the dye was not "fast." Here is a link to her site. http://www.eileenfisher.com/EileenFisherCompany/CompanyGeneralContentPages/AboutOurDesign/Organic_Denim.jsp

It's not just blue jeans. Any dye process has toxic leftovers. Even white fabrics are bleached. I've done dying for tie dye, yarn dyeing, and with friends indigo dyeing. I think a few places are coming out with safer dyes now finally and I'll be looking for those for our next dye day with my friends. But to get the brightest colors for natural dyes you use chrome - Potassium Dichromate VERY toxic.