FOR RESPONSIBLE LIVING PRODUCTS
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".
ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS
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. Wherever possible we will use certified organic or recycled materials in our products.
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.
ALTERNATIVE TRIMS
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
ALTERNATIVE TRIMS
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
ALTERNATIVE PACKAGING
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.
Our commitment to alternative material and production processes goes hand in hand with our belief that our denim should be made to last. The Diesel Library offers evergreen denim essentials designed to transcend trends and be worn season after season. Every style in the Library is designed through a 360 sustainability lens, focusing on all the core components that make our denim so distinctive. Every product contains 50%-90% preferred fibres and uses at least one preferred treatment, as well as lower-impact trims. The Diesel Library accounts for a third of our overall denim offer and represents significant progress towards 100% of our denim being responsibly sourced.
The Essentials collection is a core part of our ready to wear offer, featuring everyday cotton jersey staples that are distinctively Diesel. We have been working hard to make sure that the cotton we use across our collections is responsibly sourced and that our Essentials collection only features lower impact treatments and trims. Moreover, starting from Spring Summer 2023 we use only certified organic cotton in our Essentials Collection.
CIRCULAR FASHION
Diesel Rehab Denim, launched in partnership with Tejidos Royo, has been designed with sustainability at its heart. Diesel Rehab Denim is made using 100% recycled cotton and fully recycled spandex elastane mixed with Tencel ™ Lyocell using REFIBRA technology. This line also features Dry Indigo® Technology, drastically reducing the amount of water, chemicals and energy required in the dying process.
Diesel Rehab Denim is designed to be fully circular and focuses on transparency and traceability. The products use revolutionary DNA technology developed by the Swiss based company Haelixa, which allows us to mark in a unique and permanent way all garments belonging to this line.
Circular Fashion Award
On Semptember 22nd 2024, DIESEL received the Circular Economy Award presented by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as part of the Sustainable Fashion Awards 2024 of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. The ceremony was held at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, at the close of Milan Fashion Week.
The award, conferred by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, honours circular economy models aimed at redefining the future of the fashion system through structural changes.
In line with its sustainability strategy For Responsible Living, DIESEL stood out for its approach to circularity and, in particular, for its DIESEL Rehab Denim, Diesel Second Hand projects and its collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
SS25 Fashion Show
PARTNERSHIPS
Better Cotton™
In 2020 Diesel became members of Better Cotton™. Better Cotton™’s mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. By buying cotton products from Diesel, customers are supporting responsible cotton production through Better Cotton™. Better Cotton™ farmers receive training on how to use water efficiently, care for the health of the soil and natural habitats, reduce use of the most harmful chemicals and respect workers’ rights and wellbeing. Better Cotton™ is sourced via a chain of custody model called mass balance. This means that Better Cotton™ is not physically traceable to end products, however, Better Cotton™ Farmers benefit from the demand for Better Cotton™ in equivalent volumes to those we ‘source.’
To learn more, visit
Forest Stewardship Council®
The Forest Stewardship Council A. C. (FSC®) is an international non-profit, multistakeholder organisation established in 1993 that promotes responsible management of the world's forests via timber certification.
Our partnership with FSC® contributes to one of the targets of the Fashion Pact’s “Biodiversity Pillar”, that of supporting zero deforestation and sustainable forest management by 2025.
Leather Working Group
At Diesel, we are committed to supporting responsible leather manufacturing across the globe and that is why we are proud members of Leather Working Group (LWG).
ZDHC Roadmap To Zero
Creating the Diesel distressed look, for which we are best known has traditionally used treatments that are intensive in water and chemical use. We are proud to be part of ZDHC ( Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemical) initiative, which includes the MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substances List). The programme is focused on best practice in chemicals management to protect humans and the environment.
THE FASHION PACT
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.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR PILLARS
Remove Product?
Are you sure you want to remove the following product from the cart?