Which jeans contain no plastic in the denim, the pocketing, the thread or the fly?
Short answer: we can't find a plastic-free jean we can verify. Every candidate we checked had a plastic part beyond a small seal, or one we could not confirm. The list below says which.
No jeans have earned a spot yet. We checked one, 7th Earth Studios' D01 Basalt barrel cut, and we can't tell if it's plastic-free.
The denim is 15 oz organic cotton, GOTS certified. But the maker never names the thread, the pocket bags, the fly or the rivets and buttons, and those are the parts of a pair of jeans where polyester usually sits. The maker hasn't said.
Side by side
Every jean we checked, and what kept each one off the list. The full evidence for each is one click away.
| Rank | Photo | Materials | Packaging | Price seen | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checked, not listed | |||||
 | 7thEarthStudios D01 Basalt 15 oz Organic Barrel Cut Denim Cannot tell | ||||
| 100% certified organic cotton denim, 15 oz | Not verified yet | Not linked | A major part is unverified | ||
Where plastic hides in jeans
Rigid denim is cotton, and the plastic sits around it. Stretch denim wraps cotton around an elastane core, usually 1 to 3 percent. Pocket bags are polyester-cotton twill. The thread is polyester or poly-core, a polyester filament wrapped in cotton, because it outlasts cotton at the hem and the belt loops. A zipper fly runs on polyester tape with metal or nylon teeth; a button fly takes metal buttons. Rivets and buttons are brass, copper or iron, and some are painted. The back patch is leather, and a polyurethane topcoat on leather is plastic.
What to check before you buy
- Denim: 100% cotton, with no elastane or polyester?
- Pocket bags: cotton twill, or a polyester blend?
- Thread: 100% cotton, or polyester and poly-core?
- Fly: buttons, or a zipper with the tape named?
- Rivets and buttons: solid brass, copper or iron, or painted?
- Back patch: oil-tanned or unfinished leather, or coated?
- Finishing: raw, or a coated, resin or stone-wash finish?
Know of one?
If you make or own a jeans with no plastic in it, including the seal, tell us: chairman@amaterio.com. Send the maker's page and what the seal is made of. We vet every tip and publish the ones that hold up, with credit.
Checked and not listed
- 7thEarthStudios D01 Basalt 15 oz Organic Barrel Cut Denim
Cannot tellThe denim is 15 oz organic cotton, GOTS certified, and the maker says nothing else about what the jeans are made of. It never names the thread, the pocket bags, the fly or the rivets and buttons. Those are exactly the parts of a pair of jeans that are usually polyester or poly-cotton, so we can't call these plastic-free yet.