By Justin Walker
Communications Specialist

Those old jeans in the back of your closet may have more use than you previously thought.

A new partnership between the U.S. cottonseed brand PhytoGen and Cotton Incorporated highlights cotton’s sustainability.

PhytoGen joined forces with Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green denim recycling program to help organize denim collection drives in communities known for growing cotton.

The program was designed to recycle worn denim into insulation, which keeps textile waste out of landfills.

“The collaboration with PhytoGen illustrates the full circle of U.S. cotton sustainability,” Stacey Gorman, director of Communications for The Cotton Board, said. “New seed technologies and the commitment of U.S. cotton growers continue to make sustainable production gains, while the Blue Jeans Go Green denim recycling program addresses end-of-product-life sustainability.”

PhytoGen will be at several events throughout the year to collect used denim items.

To help raise awareness of the program, PhytoGen partnered with Corteva Agriscience to host internal denim drives at their corporate offices and seed production locations last November, collecting more than 2,000 pieces of denim.

“We are thrilled to partner with Cotton Incorporated and Blue Jeans Go Green to essentially bring cotton full circle,” Derek Racca, PhytoGen brand manager, said. “This program helps the communities in which we and our customers live and work by keeping denim out of landfills, as well as playing a role in donating insulation to charities, such as Habitat for Humanity.”

Cotton farmers recognize the limitless potential in the crop, and the Blue Jeans Go Green programs offers growers a chance to connect and interact with their communities, Gorman said.

“The Blue Jeans Go Green program is a great way to connect with the cotton-growing community and give them a way to divert textile waste from landfills,” Gorman said.

PhytoGen has already established denim collection drives with the National FFA Foundation and local FFA chapters. Collection drives can be found at local cotton grower meetings and other events.

One location will be at the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association tradeshow set for April 4-5 in Lubbock.

In addition to the Texas location, other PhytoGen denim drop-off locations at major meetings include:

  1. World Ag Expo: Feb. 12-14 in Tulare, California.
  2. Mid-South Farm & Gin Show: March 1-2 in Memphis, Tennessee
  3. Sunbelt Field Day: July 25 in Tifton, Georgia

“PhytoGen is proud to partner with the Blue Jeans Go Green program in the continuing effort to help communities and FFA chapters thrive. Whether its denim jeans, jackets, shirts or skirts, every piece of denim makes a difference,” Racca said.

Since the program was established in 2006, more than 2 million pieces of denim have been collected. During that time, more than 3.9 million square feet of insulation has been upcycled from worn denim.

Click here for more information on Blue Jeans Go Green.