What is Real Good?

As you’re shopping our site, you might notice more and more styles labeled “Real Good,” and you might wonder, what exactly does that mean?

As part of our broader sustainability goals – which include a comprehensive plan to be carbon neutral by 2030 – we’ve made a commitment to moving toward more sustainable raw materials and reducing our water and energy usage. Here’s a quick look at how it’s going so far…

Real Good by the numbers:

• 12 GALLONS: The water saved by every pair of Real Good jeans on average.
• 36%: The amount by which we’ve reduced the water used to make each pair of jeans.
• 137 MILLION: The number of plastic bottles used in recycled polyester in 2022 alone.
• 100%: The eligible denim laundries that recycle water used to make AE jeans.
• 569,000+: The number of jeans that have been donated and recycled through our partnership with Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green™ program.

Real Good materials.

Real Good styles include materials that have been sustainably produced and/or sourced, such as:

• Recycled polyester
• Recycled nylon
• Cotton that’s recycled, organic, and/or sustainably sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative

Real Good factories.

Real Good jeans are made in factories that meet expectations for our Water Leadership Program. Those expectations include:

• Water reduction and management
• Less wastewater that is without restricted or hazardous chemicals
• Water recycling

Real Good is a promise.

Just like you, we understand that every action we take – even the small ones – can have a huge impact. Real Good is our commitment to doing better, working harder, and understanding that it’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. Because you should feel as good about your clothes as you do in them. 

With that said, we want to emphasize that Real Good is not a congratulatory pat on the back and it certainly isn’t a declaration of victory in our sustainability efforts. We have a lot of work to do to reach our goals. We’re not there yet, but we’re on our way.