Verifying green claims: A new benchmark for water usage in indigo dyeing

What makes an indigo dyeing process “sustainable?” And what is the average amount of water used to dye denim today? The answer is - we do not know as there has been no benchmark to date that compares processes of denim mills worldwide. There have been, however, water saving claims galore but again, without a benchmark, it is hard to gauge what are genuine efforts at becoming more sustainable and what is greenwashing. Experts estimate that between three to five billion(!) denim garments are manufactured each year, much of it in water-scarce regions.