Established in 2006 in Canada by David Abissidan, Lola Denim is a denim brand that relaunched its sustainability strategy around 2020, focusing on low-impact finishing, responsible materials, and ethical production in Turkey.
1. Environmental
Sustainability
Lola Denim’s environmental efforts center on water-efficient denim finishing, certified fibers, and tree-planting initiatives. While the brand provides detailed information on finishing technologies and factory practices, it does not publish full product-level fiber breakdowns, total emissions data, or science-based reduction targets.
IMPACT AREA 01
Materials
& Sourcing
- Lola Denim uses organic cotton in its production, alongside recycled fibers. However, it would ensure visibility to publish exact material percentages by fiber type.
- The brand references organic cotton certifications, but also cites the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) in relation to recycled content, without clearly distinguishing which products carry which certification.
- All surplus denim cutting scraps are sent to recycling facilities for reclamation and reuse, reducing production waste.
- The brand introduces plant-based dyes seasonally, but does not disclose scale, uptake, or performance data.
IMPACT AREA 02
Climate
& Emissions
- Lola Denim offsets the carbon footprint of each garment, though no emissions baseline or methodology is disclosed.
- Through its “Jeans for Trees” initiative, the brand plants one mangrove tree per order via Ecodrive, supporting reforestation projects in Madagascar and Kenya.
- Tree planting is verified and traceable, with GPS, timestamps, and photographic evidence, but no lifecycle carbon accounting or permanence data is published.
- Lola Denim uses Jeanologia’s Environmental Impact Measuring (EIM) software to score “sustainability-washed” garments.
- The average EIM score across products is 27, which falls within Jeanologia’s low-impact process range (lower scores indicate lower impact).
IMPACT AREA 03
Water
& Chemicals
- Lola Denim reports an 80% reduction in water use compared to conventionally washed denim, achieved through a combination of: Ozone washing (bleaching without traditional chemicals), Laser finishing (replacing abrasive treatments), E-Flow and nebulization technologies, which use nanobubbles and minimal water.
- A water recycling unit reportedly allows up to 60% of water used in finishing to be recycled.
- The brand requires suppliers to be ZDHC members and to disclose chemical testing results through the ZDHC platform, according to its Code of Conduct.
IMPACT AREA 04
Circularity
& Waste
- Lola Denim repurposes production scrap fabric and upcycles larger remnants into accessories when possible.
- Products are shipped in recycled plastic polybags, including 100% recycled mailers made with 50% post-consumer content.
- Lola reports quantified savings in oil use, CO₂e, and electricity compared to virgin plastic mailers (EcoEnclosed data).
- Packaging reuse for returns is encouraged by the brand.