One question froze Romain Narcy in his tracks fifteen years ago: "Do you know the environmental impact of making jeans?"
He didn't. That moment sent him on a path from running suitcase sales trips across France to building one of Turkey's greenest denim factories to joining the steering committee of the Denim Deal. Their goal? One billion jeans made with recycled cotton by 2030.
Sounds ambitious. Romain thinks it's doable. But only if brands stop pretending they understand their supply chains when most can't even explain how their jeans get washed, let alone recycled.
In this conversation, he and Andrew get into the real barriers. Europeans are buying 33% more clothes than they were a few years ago. Most brands don't know collectors from sorters from recyclers. Blending recycled cotton takes the precision of a champagne maker. And 85% of garments still end up in landfills.
Romain's not selling a dream here. He's mapping the infrastructure it takes to close the loop, why legislation might be the only real leverage left, and what happens when countries realize they're sitting on mountains of waste that could be worth something.
Can the industry actually pull this off before consumption outpaces every solution?
Learn more about Romain’s work:
- Steering Committee Member, Denim Deal
- Founder, Rematters | Textile Recycling & Circularity Solutions
- Partner, Innovation & Strategy, Ereks Garment | Sustainable Denim & Woven Apparel
Follow these projects on LinkedIn:
🎧 Listen now at jeansland.co
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