Denim laundry company seeks solution to California drought problem

Los Angeles - As the drought continues in California, apparel companies are forced to adapt. Eco Prk, an eco-friendly laundry company, recently launched a panel to discuss how the drought affects the industry and what changes need to be made.

The denim laundry company specifically caters to brands that aim to decrease use of chemicals while washing. The company has clients such as Tortoise Denim, which is founded by Eco Prk’s owner Kevin Youn. Additionally, the company also works with Lucky Brand Legend Line. The company prides itself on finding new and innovative ways to wash denim with reduced amounts of water. The reason this is important is because of California’s massive drought that has been plaguing the area for recent years. Currently, according to Seametrics, the drought encompasses over 98 percent of the state. Also, the drought costs farmers an estimated 2.2 billion dollars last years. These numbers are only further proof that something needs to change in California. Water is used in fashion for cotton cultivation, dying processes, finishing, and more. With the availability of it decreasing, it’s imperative that a solution is made soon.

Denim companies and executives address California's drought

The issue that was brought up at the panel, as reported by WWD, is that the denim industry needs to think of more solutions to be tested and proven. There was an idea of switching up the process of dying denim. “The thing is, it still needs much more profound research,” Ebru Ozaydin, head of sales and marketing for Calik Denim, told WWD. “[We can’t] all of a sudden...switch from indigo dye to another alternative.”

Although this issue remains, Eco Prk offers a solution with its washes. However, the pricing is not cheap. Because of the water reducing process, eco-friendly options are typically much higher in pricing than the old way of denim washing. Brands in the denim industry will need to change their mindset to get ahead in water-reducing processes. Because not everyone in the industry is united on this issue, it may take a while before things really change. Also, prices are continuing to rise for laundries as well. “[The price change is] kind of driving business out of [Los Angeles],” Heather Morton, founder of Blue Salt Product Development Co. said in the panel, as reported by WWD. The main thing is changing the mindset of the consumer and then getting businesses to follow suit. If the denim industry can start to sway consumer’s mind on sustainability, then a change is more likely to happen soon.

Photo: CananZembil