BE THE ALTERNATIVE

Our products labelled as “For Responsible Living” are designed to have a significantly lower environmental impact and/or to be more circular.

We take a holistic approach to designing a “For Responsible Living” Product, ensuring the fabrics, treatments and trims are all taken into consideration.

Below you can find out about some of the alternatives we are exploring to reduce the impact of our products and to make our business more circular.

A unique QR code is printed on each product to give our customers access to detailed information about the specific attributes that define "For Responsible Living". This information can also be found on the product pages of our website for all products flagged as "For Responsible Living".

Raw materials make up a significant percentage of the overall impact of our products, so the materials we use matter. By choosing to source lower impact materials particularly those that are certified organic or recycled, we can reduce the amount of water, energy and chemicals used and contribute to a fairer and healthier system for everyone across our supply chain.

To help our design, development and production teams make informed decisions about which materials to use, we have developed and implemented a PREFERRED MATERIALS MATRIX, rating materials from good to best. Wherever possible we will use certified organic or recycled materials in our products. In 2021, 73% of all the cotton we sourced was organic, recycled or Better Cotton.

Moreover, being a member of the Fashion Pact, we are committed to achieving at least 25% of lower impact key raw materials/ priority materials (as per Fashion Pact and Textile Exchange definition) by 2025.

Click here to find out more about our “PREFERRED MATERIALS MATRIX”

SPOTLIGHT: ORGANIC COTTON

Cotton being the most commonly used fibre in denim production, is the most widely used material in our collections, representing approximately 80% of the fibres we source. Cotton is grown on 2.4% of the world’s arable land but conventional cotton farming is responsible for approximately 16% of all agricultural insecticides used globally, more than any other single crop (ref. Pesticides Action Network). In contrast, organic farming uses natural methods of pest control such as crop rotation which supports biodiversity and improves soil health; healthy soil stores carbon and retains water. The benefits of organic farming are 360° as the prohibition of genetically modified seeds allows farmers to retain control of seed production and the minimisation of chemical inputs benefits human as well as environmental health. We believe organic is the future that is why we are increasing the proportion of organic cotton in our collection season on season.

Diesel is famous for distinctive denim washes and finishes, but creating the distressed effect that is our DNA comes at a cost. That is why we have been working tirelessly to seek out, develop and test new denim treatments that reduce water and chemical consumption but still allow us to retain the alternative aesthetic for which we are known.

Alongside our preferred materials matrix, we have created a PREFERRED TREATMENTS MATRIX to help our design, development and production teams to better understand the impacts of the washes and finishes they specify and to encourage them to select preferred treatments with a lower water and chemical footprint.

Click here to find out more about our “PREFERRED TREATMENTS MATRIX”

SPOTLIGHT: WISER WASH®

Wiser Wash® is a revolutionary washing technology that completely avoids the use of pumice stone and of any toxic or hazardous chemicals, while drastically reducing the use of water (full decoloration is achieved with only one cup of water).

Whilst Diesel is known for unique distressed denim, there are a multitude of other components and trims that go into making the perfect pair of Diesel jeans. We believe it is important and necessary to redesign these small and sometimes unseen elements as collectively they add significantly to the overall impact of a product. As with our approach to denim and other material we always look for organic or recycled alternatives for labels, patches, tapes, embroideries and other textile components. Wherever possible we use recycled metals, chrome free leather, and FSC® certified paper, card and patches.

Below are some examples of how we have transitioned conventional trims or components to more responsible alternatives.

SPOTLIGHT: RESPONSIBLE TRIMS

• Our zippers use certified recycled polyester tape by Natulon® or certified organic cotton tape
• Our buttons and rivets use alternatives to conventional galvanization
• The distinctive "Diesel Industry" pocket stripe and our care labels are entirely made from certified recycled polyester

We are working to reduce our packaging and where packaging is required both for customers and for transportation we are committed to ensuring that everything card and paper based is FSC® certified. We are also committed to the systematic removal of single used plastic packaging from our logistics by 2025 and are working on switching all our B2B plastic polybags to 100% recycled polyethylene.

The above actions are all in line with the targets of one of the Fashion Pact’s “pillars”, the “Oceans” one, which Diesel is bound to and that require brands to:

• Eliminate problematic and unnecessary plastics in B2C packaging by 2025, and in B2B by 2030.
• Ensure at least half of all plastic packaging is 100% recycled content by 2025 for B2C and by 2030 for B2B.

The Fashion Pact is a global coalition of companies in the fashion and textile industry (ready-to- wear, sport, lifestyle and luxury) including their suppliers and distributors, all committed to a common core of key environmental goals in three areas: stopping global warming, restoring biodiversity and protecting the oceans. Launched as a mission given to Kering Chairman and CEO, François-Henri Pinault by French President, Emmanuel Macron, the Fashion Pact was presented to Heads of State at the G7 Summit in Biarritz.