Denim jeans aren’t just iconic; they remain a closet staple for consumers around the world. But as styles change and well-worn pairs reach the end of their useful lives, many denim lovers are left wondering what to do with the jeans they no longer wear. For 20 years, Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green™ denim recycling program has offered a solution: recycle them.

Since it began in 2006, Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green^™ denim recycling program has worked with consumers, retailers, schools and other organizations to collect more than 6 million pieces of denim, diverted over 3,000 tons of textile waste from landfills and created more than 12 million square feet of insulation, of which some has been used to build homes with Habitat for Humanity and Fuller Center affiliates. Besides building insulation, the nonwoven insulating material has been used for inserts for pet beds. The old blue jeans are also being converted into thermal packaging liners that keep meal delivery kits fresh and cold—and those recycled denim liners can then be recycled, as well. In addition to giving denim a second life, the program aims to raise awareness around textile recycling and sustainability.

“Cotton is a remarkable natural fiber—durable enough to be worn and loved for years, yet versatile enough to take on an entirely new purpose,” said William Kimbrell, president and CEO of Cotton Incorporated .

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