Cone Denim highlights its environmental gains from the past year in a new sustainability report by parent company Elevate Textiles.
Water usage has been a major focus for the Greensboro, N.C.-based denim maker. Since the company set its 2030 goals in 2019, it has achieved more than a 50 percent absolute water usage reduction for its dyeing and finishing processes.
Much of that reduction comes from Cone’s investment in the Parras Zero Liquid Discharge system, which has allowed the company to already meet Elevate Textiles’ target for 40 percent reduction in water usage by 2030. The system allows the Cone Denim Parras mill to recycle up to 90 percent of its wastewater for reuse in the manufacturing process. The company’s flash-finishing technology at its facilities in Mexico and China have allowed for an average of 83 percent water savings, 39 percent chemical and 14 percent energy savings.
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Last year, Cone launched a collection of fabrics dyed with called Colourizd, a sustainable technology that injects pigment onto smooth yarns to create a visual yarn slub. The technology offers significant natural resource savings in comparison to reactive dyeing—50 percent reduction in energy usage, 98 percent drop in water use and a 73 percent decrease in carbon footprint.
Cone Denim has set a target of a 46.2 percent reduction in Scope 1, 2, 3 and overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, as well as attaining 100 percent renewable electricity usage by that same deadline. In October, the company installed its first solar panels at its facility in Jiaxing, China, as part of a photovoltaic power generation project. The installation generates 9 MWh of electricity annually, providing an estimated 17 percent drop in that plant’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“The commissioning of the photovoltaic project empowers our facility to use cost-efficient energy, elevates its eco-conscious market edge, and fuels sustainable growth with a surge of clean, forward-driving vitality,” said Richard Lu, production manager, Cone Denim Jiaxing.
Sustainable fiber use and circularity also have been top of mind for Cone. Last year, 84 percent of cotton sourced by the company was certified sustainable. Part of that certification comes via Oritain, a traceability technology that creates an “origin fingerprint” to ensure the cotton Cone uses is not sourced from areas at risk of unethical practices. Cone has committed to sourcing 100 percent preferred and low-climate impact fibers by 2030.
“Fiber is where it all starts,” said Caitlyn Holt, director of sustainable product innovation and marketing, Cone Denim. “Cone is committed to sourcing responsibly and offering our customers the most sustainable fibers that are available at scale. Our development team has worked tirelessly to source, spec and incorporate these new fibers into our products.”
Recycled fibers also play a role in Cone Denim’s sustainability story. Last year, the company expanded its Bonzai fabric family, made with 100 percent recycled cotton, to include new shades and constructions. Additionally, Cone’s collection of fabrics developed in partnership with Accelerating Circularity—containing up to 26 percent recycled cotton—made its retail debut.
“I am most proud of the ‘hidden’ sustainability we can offer the market,” Holt said. “We’ve added sustainable attributes like water savings, certified recycled cotton, biodegradable polyester and more without a change to the Cone aesthetic.”
Cone Denim’s sustainability report also outlined partnerships that allowed the company to expand the reach of its fabrics in 2024. The company collaborated with AMK Atelier to launch Rooted, a year-long case study of women in workwear to test and document wear patterns and durability. For its Ethica collaboration with Juan Carlos Gordillo and Jeanologia, Cone supplied fabrics containing only natural fibers—cotton, recycled cotton and Tencel.
Cone fabrics were also the foundation to One Denim, a collaboration between Cone, Kingpins Show, Tonello and designer Piero Turk that showcases the variety of looks that can be achieved with one fabric. a single fabric can achieve.
Cone Denim president Steve Maggard said the company plans to build on these successes to ensure a more sustainable future.
“Looking back on 2024, I am incredibly proud of the progress Cone Denim has made in sustainability,” Maggard stated. “My hope for the remainder of 2025 is that our customers and suppliers continue to look to Cone Denim as a leader in sustainability. When you think of Cone, I hope you think ‘transparent,’ ‘traceable,’ and ‘trustworthy.’ We invest in sustainability every day and are never satisfied with the status quo.”
