AG Jeans joins local beach cleanup campaign

Los Angeles-based AG Jeans has launched a new multi-brand campaign that encourages companies and customers to help clean up the world’s beaches.

Other environmentally-focused companies participating in September’s Coastal Cleanup Month, hosted by L.A. environmental group Heal the Bay, including swimwear brand Mikoh, Free People, Alaska Airlines, Art of Tea, and Necessaire.

For the second year in a row, the campaign, led by water brand Boxed Water, aims to stop plastic pollution from contaminating the world’s beaches. The company planned beach cleanups in Newport Beach, Calif., Santa Monica, Calif., and Montauk, N.Y. on September 16 and 18, respectively, and is urging all of its employees to participate in individual cleanups as well.

Participating firms are also donating money to the Ocean Blue Project, an environmental NGO that will employ a microplastic extraction machine to clean up 250,000 pounds of plastic every year.

Microplastics and microfibers continue to damage the world’s oceans and have lately been discovered in far-flung Arctic locations. While littering is a contributing factor, home washing machines are also a factor. Microfibers from garments can get through the lint trap in a regular load of washing and wind up in rivers and oceans. Because most denim is made with chemicals, these microfibers may represent a hazard to the environment and its people. Many in the denim business are working to ameliorate the problem, with new fabric technologies that eliminate the need for frequent at-home washing and water treatment systems that trap microfibers before they make their way into the world’s water sources.

Daryn Kuipers, CEO of Boxed Water, said that with so much going on in the world and growing concerns about the climate problem, they wanted to join forces with these fantastic brands to highlight good and proactive solutions to reduce plastic waste. Each of their collaborating brands has taken substantial environmental steps in their operations, products, and/or services. They continue to inspire Boxed Water, as they work to guarantee that they give back to the earth as a whole, as well as the communities in our own backyards, in addition to providing a product to reduce plastic pollution.

Consumers are also being invited to help prevent plastic pollution in the world’s oceans from September 15 to September 30, and they’re being rewarded with the chance to win a grand prize of products from each of the participating firms. The grand prize includes AG Jeans’ biodegradable “Jeans of Tomorrow,” two round-trip Alaska Airlines tickets, a $500 Free People gift card, a 6-month Art of Tea subscription, select Mikoh swimwear made of recycled plastic bottles, Necessaire’s climate neutral-certified skincare products, and a six-month supply of Boxed Water.

AG Jeans’ participation in the campaign adds to its commitment to sustainability, which began with the launch of its biodegradable denim range in April. The fabric, which is made out of organic cotton, Tencel, and hemp, is supplied from a mill near AG’s Mexico site to further minimize the company’s carbon footprint. All of the clothes in the collection are embroidered using Tencel-based thread, and corozo buttons, which are known for their scratch and fade resistance, are used on all of them.

The company has previously bragged about its use of environmentally friendly supply chain techniques like laser and ozone finishing technology and water recycling, claiming to recycle over 100,000 gallons of water every day. It intends to recycle more than 50 million gallons of water per year.