Jeans and denim outer clothing, with denim being defined as a cotton twill fabric.

Green Deal on Circular Denim

The Green Deal on Circular Denim is a voluntary agreement between the State Secretary for

Infrastructure and Water Management, the Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, local authorities and private parties and a number of other parties to close the denim loop and promote circularity therein. The parties want to do this by increasing the supply of and demand for high-quality recycled denim fibres (PCR denim = post-consumer recycled material). With this Green Deal, the parties want to take a step towards
stimulating the reuse of textiles in all denim products offered on the Dutch market, and thus achieve the application of recycled fibres (PCR) in denim as a standard.
The Green Deal on Circular Denim will run until 31 December 2023.
Articles 2 (goal) and 3 (envisaged results) may contain a technical regulation.
According to Article 2, the parties will at any rate commit to the joint ambition of working as quickly as possible towards a new industry standard of at least 5 % PCR cotton fibres used in the production of all denim garments and will raise the bar in the future based on the learnings of this Green Deal.

Article 3 lists the specific results that must be achieved within the term of the Green Deal on Circular Denim:
1. Brand owners and retailers will achieve a minimum of 5 % PCR content in their own denim collections during
this period by working together closely with other parties,
2. Brand owners and retailers will furthermore achieve individual and higher targets for PCR content in denim
garments, and will set out their ambitions and approach in individual roadmaps, based on the close collaboration
with other parties,
3. Brand owners and retailers will achieve the use of 20 % PCR cotton fibres in three million pairs of jeans
produced by these parties during the term of this Green Deal.

The goals and results under 2 and 3 are elaborated in more detail in Articles 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 respectively. Article 4.2(f) provides that weavers and manufacturers commit to adding a minimum of 5 % PCR fibre in all the 100 % raw denim fabrics they make and use. Article 4.3(c) provides that the brand owners and retailers commit within a year to buying on the market a guaranteed quantity of denim clothing containing PCR denim.

The Green Deal on Circular Denim does not include a mutual recognition clause because it does not require any specific forms of proof (such as quality marks, certificates), nor does the Green Deal on Circular Denim contain any arrangements that could otherwise hinder the free movement of goods between Member States.