Madewell has launched an ambitious five-pillar denim production improvement plan for its 266 factories around the world. The company produces over 20 million products a year.
Madewell’s business has been important to the overall success of parent company J.Crew Group. Now the brand, which has become known for its denim assortment, is delving deeper into regenerative agriculture. It’s already launched 15 products made with regenerative fibers this year. On June 24, it released its fourth “Do Well” sustainability report, which outlines its sustainability progress and goals. Liz Hershfield, head of sustainability at J.Crew Group, said the long-term and short-term goals are set to make its denim and core styles more sustainable.
“We want to stand behind a significant and industry-leading strategy around denim, focusing on regenerative agriculture and pushing as much of the product range into regenerative cotton as possible,” said Hershfield. “Our new denim strategy [is focused on] regenerative agriculture, circularity, people, water and chemicals.”
To support growers transitioning into regenerative agriculture, the brand is providing “impact incentives,” or payments made directly to the farmers that are part of its regenerative agriculture program. In 2022, Madewell distributed over $800,000 in impact incentives to its regenerative farming partners in India and the U.S., helping to fund the transition to and certification of these new farming practices. Over the last two years, Madewell has sourced over 1 million pounds of third-party-certified regenerative cotton from Brazil, India, the U.S. and Peru.
“There are challenges in the availability of regenerative cotton,” said Hershfield. “There is a lot of energy around regenerative agriculture; people are getting really excited about it. We’re starting to see mills showing fabrics that are regenerative, and we’re working within our supply chain to nominate the cotton that our partners are buying.” Nominating means that the brand will pay more for regenerative cotton, on top of the cotton commodity price.
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In addition, Madewell is seeking collaborative partners to help scale regenerative farming, especially in the U.S. where it works with 10 factories. “We are focused on collective action by getting more brands to work directly with farmers and supporting their transition, because it’s expensive,” said Hershfield, noting that the effort spans J.Crew Group. Madewell has three-year contracts with 27 farms across the United States. It also uses isotope technology, which involves finding a fiber’s unique environmental fingerprint to verify its geographical origin.
In fall 2023, Madewell expects 12% of its denim styles to contain regenerative cotton. The company plans to set a goal for regenerative cotton in its next report. Madewell declined to share revenue figures.
Madewell Forever, its circularity program, ensures that denim doesn’t end up in a landfill through a multi-pronged approach. That includes upcycled denim product collaborations, an in-store denim trade-in program, and a partnership with Cotton Inc.’s Blue Jeans Go Green, which turns unwearable denim into other products, among other initiatives. Madewell collected 423,000 pairs of jeans in 2022, doubling the amount from 2021.
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In 2021, Madewell opened a pop-up store with ThredUp in Williamsburg, to expand on its circularity efforts through retail. It followed that up with an update to its Williamsburg store featuring vintage items in 2023. At the moment, circularity and resale don’t provide significant revenue streams for the brand, although Madewell sold 2,900 pieces through the ThredUp pop-up in 2021. “We approached [resale] as a sustainability initiative,” said Hershfield. “There are a lot of different ways to do resale and a lot of different partners, but we are looking at what that business will look like in five years for us.”
More than 90% of Madewell’s denim will come from Fair Trade Certified factories by 2025. Although the company does not own or operate any of its 266 factories, it ensures each is properly audited and respects workers’ rights, said Hershfield. In 2022, 48% of Madewell’s denim was Fair Trade Certified.
“In any Fair Trade-approved factory, for any product that comes from that factory, we directly pay the workers a premium on top of the cost of the product,” said Hershfield. “They get access to a bank account where they are paid directly, and they get to decide collectively what they do with that premium. Sometimes, they band together. In 2018, in one of our factories in Vietnam, they bought supplemental health insurance.”
In terms of its social sustainability goals, Madewell has made $1 million in donations to 13 charity partnerships in 2022. Madewell made good on the 15 Percent Pledge in 2022, with 15% of its third-party vendors being Black-owned businesses. It is now working to expand the initiative to more areas of its business.
As part of its new five-pillar denim plan, the brand is also committed to mitigating the risks to water in its own denim supply chain. It’s investing in water stewardship programs in Vietnam, Madewell’s largest denim-producing country; it’s made a three-year commitment, via a sponsorship, to reduce its water footprint. In 2023, Madewell also committed $50,000 to restoration work on producer lands and surrounding areas in Texas, where the majority of its regenerative cotton projects are based.
Through its new partnership with independent auditor Bluesign, the brand aims to get data on its denim and chemical impact. Madewell launched its first-ever denim style with Bluesign-approved denim in early 2023. Thirteen additional Bluesign-approved styles are set to roll out this year. Madewell is focusing its efforts on chemical management in all aspects of denim production, plus it’s aligning with regulation and supporting U.S. policymaking for the fashion industry.
“We’re very focused on third-party certifications, and validating and verifying anything that we speak about — not just calling something sustainable, but also being specific about why it’s better for the environment and what we’re doing with each initiative,” said Hershfield. “We’re also paying a lot of attention to what’s going on in the E.U. because we know that will eventually come to us. Also, to operate in the E.U., we have to be compliant.”
