How American Eagle Is Saving Water
We believe great style is created with sustainability at its core. Which is why we’re taking your feedback seriously and taking steps to build a better future through better manufacturing processes.
Today, we want to share what we’re doing to save water, and how YOU can help.
What We’re Doing
Water is a finite resource. Around the world, billions of people are living without safe water, so every drop of H2O truly matters. This is why we’re working with our fabric mills and denim laundries to come up with innovative ways to make the jeans you know and love, while also cutting back on water usage.
Since the launch of our Water Leadership Program in 2017, our mills and laundries have saved more than 3.4 BILLION gallons of water. The fabric and wash process used to make each jean is now down by 15% (that’s over 5 gallons per jean!), and our laundries are recycling more than 25% of their water so it can be fully reused for manufacturing.t
In 2020 alone, an estimated 1.5 billion gallons of water were saved thanks to our sourcing of Better Cotton.
And we can’t not talk about our Real Good jeans, which are made with the planet in mind, in factories with higher standards for water recycling and reduction. Every pair of Real Good jeans saves 7 gallons of water on average, compared to our past denim production.
What You Can Do
Did you know that customer use accounts for the most water usage after cotton manufacturing? That means you have the power to reduce the water impact of your jeans. Here’s how:
Wash your jeans only when needed. There’s no need to wash them with every wear! Or two. Or three. We swear. You can spot-clean them between washes and, shhh, no one will know.
When you do wash your jeans, wash them on cold. It’s better for your jeans and the planet.
Hang your jeans to dry rather than using the dryer. You’ll save energy by air-drying them, plus reduce wrinkles and extend your jeans’ life.
Moving Forward, Together
We know we’ve still got a long way to go when it comes to sustainable practices, but we’re committed to doing what we can to reduce and reuse water, and hope you are, too. We are ALL connected by the water we use and the jeans we love. The only way forward is together.