Although I think it is great that you have found these jeans, I prefer to buy mine at a resale shop. Give a pair of jeans (or any other clothes) a second life and as a special benefit you'll already know how they'll fit after being washed!

Except for the pair on sale for $40, the average price here is $140. I can't afford to buy "green" jeans -- and I'll bet I'm not the only one.

I agree with Ruth. I would love to buy "green:" clothing but I am trying to put myself through college right now and I can barely afford to spend $40 on jeans, let alone $140. A guide to some cheaper ways to be green would be nice to see.

I will opt for the resale of other's discard jeans, either at yard sales or second hand stores. While Fair Trade is important, I prefer to purchase items made here if possible. However, free shipping on US made jeans with a price tag of $190 is a beyond unrealistic for me and for most people I know.

Nice, 100% cotton, my florist and I are constantly searching for organic made clothing, so this is quite perfect.

I agree with Monica & Ruth on the outrageous, unrealistic prices for these eco-friendly jeans. I am all for going green, but I also have a budget I must adhere to as I pay off my own student loans, look for another job in a faltering economy, and put my own children through college. We recycle via yard sales and thrift stores (especially for clothing), and will continue to do so as long as these so-called "fair trade" prices remain more like Hollywood and Saks 5th Avenue NYC prices.

Come on treehugger! If you want to get this country's average household with a moderate income to go green, try offering affordable green options - especially to single parent families!

I agree with Monica & Ruth on the outrageous, unrealistic prices for these eco-friendly jeans. I am all for going green, but I also have a budget I must adhere to as I pay off my own student loans, look for another job in a faltering economy, and put my own children through college. We recycle via yard sales and thrift stores (especially for clothing), and will continue to do so as long as these so-called "fair trade" prices remain more like Hollywood and Saks 5th Avenue NYC prices.

Come on treehugger! If you want to get this country's average household with a moderate income to go green, try offering affordable green options - especially to single parent families!

I will agree with the ladies above, I know it costs more to produce organic anything because of not using chemicals, but so many of us are struggling to balance paying bills and shopping greener.
My girlfriend and I have made a new year's pact by not buying "new" clothes and thus not contributing to using more resources, green or not.

I think that yes, $140 tons for jeans but if you're paying for labor (and having the people sewing the jeans get decent wages) or paying for growing organic products to make the jeans than I think that it's worth it. I do wish that they had more variety in the kinds of jeans (maybe some skinny jeans??)

Check out the honorable mention Levi page. I found some of the Levi's on sale at JC Penny for $20 a pair. These jeans are significantly cheaper than the ones on this list. I love my new ones!

Hey Guys

Don't forget that the some woman pay $300 for jeans. maybe not you, but it is important to provide new alternatives for that market. I am a clothing designer, have a green line called the Pursuit of Harmony. I design clothing for women who can afford to pay between $50 and $160 for something long lasting, new, made with minimal impact. We are trying to help her see that buying at Forever 21 or H&M, though the cost is less, is not a good decision financially or for the environment as these clothes are disposable and horrible for the environment.
Though I personally do most of my shopping 2nd hand, i do need a nice pair of new jeans that will last (hopefully) a lifetime - and for that i will pay $150. I have yet to find "work worthy" jeans at a thrift shop. Either they dont fit or they are stained or stretched out. Sure, they are ok for everyday stuff, but for carrier moves, no.
In buying eco clothing, you are showing non eco companies that green is not a trend - it is the way we must shift. At first eco is going to be more expensive. As designers, we are asking factories who have methods in place, like using formaldehyde to set dye, to change those methods and that costs more money initially. (Using formaldehyde to set dye is the industry standard - it also causes cancer. Sorry, but your thrift clothes gotcha there.) :(

There will always be people making new things, don't kid yourself. Until we are at a point where all resources are gone, people will naturally be making new things. The objective then must be to shift toward making things with more care, and that will cost more and should be valued greatly by the consumer. What we must do is buy better and less, consume more sensitively and use our dollars to vote - giving our money to companies who are doing everything they can to minimize impact on our planet.

Going green for jeans? Great! $140 per pair, RIDICULOUS!!!!! For that price it is a guarantee you pay for the NAME one the lable! Honest wage? How about the honest wage of a WORKING American labor force and not some phony-fakey pretender which is actually made across the seas by our enemy and NON-friend, China, which is probably the greatest polluter of our time!!!! If you bother to do a search, there are several companies that use American-grown cotton and they make the jeans right her in the USA. Green is good, supporting our own economy is better!!!

The biggest carbon imprint isn't from making, it's from washing and drying. If you are worried about green clothes, stop using a clothes dryer! Thats the appliance with the biggest carbon footprint, not that pants you put in it.

Sometimes I think these fancy pants are a distraction from the real issue. Not that it hurts, I guess.

I agree. I couldn't even use my "Stimulus" check to buy a pair at $140!

I was excited, when first reading this article, that it said "prices to fit any budget". What a disappointment to scroll down and see those prices! Believe it or not, even the sale price of $40 is a bit much for me!

I believe that a big part of being green is saving the green. Why spend $140+ on ONE pair of jeans when I can hit the resale or find much more economical options (Levi's eco jeans start at about half the average price shown here and JCPenny carries Recycled denim starting around $30.00 in their Simply Green Line). I purchase one pair of jeans every year or two...and wear them until I cannot any longer. I also limit washing to only every couple of wears (unless soiled or odorific). Even organic cotton isn't always Fair Trade and it still consumes LARGE amounts of water to produce. Use less... waste less. Now that's GREEN.

i totally agree. everyone keeps pushing the "go green" ethic and i think it is totally awesome seeing as how i am an environmental science major. HOWEVER..... everything is so EXPENSIVE! working for a nonprofit organization i cant afford $150 for a pair or jeans.... they need to make things more accesible for us real go greeners because we arn't necessarily rich by any means.

$150 is a bit much. However, if you can afford it, there is a mid-price brand of 100% organic cotton denim from "Good Society" by Aiden Dinh co-founder of Slings and Stones. Each pair is made by hand on vintage shuttle looms in Japan from organic cotton and hand sewn in India in accordance with Fair Trade regulations. Good Society also donates a portion of their profits to charities. Each pair of jeans runs about $90.

So basically, $90 is still twice as much as I would normally spend on a pair of jeans and no one should consider replacing all their perfectly good normal jeans with these just because they are organic. But every once in a while, I know all women like to splurge. Instead of splurging on a Coach handbag made from cow skin and by 12 year olds, buy a pair of good quality denim you can feel good about!!

$150 is a bit much. However, if you can afford it, there is a mid-price brand of 100% organic cotton denim from "Good Society" by Aiden Dinh co-founder of Slings and Stones. Each pair is made by hand on vintage shuttle looms in Japan from organic cotton and hand sewn in India in accordance with Fair Trade regulations. Good Society also donates a portion of their profits to charities. Each pair of jeans runs about $90.

So basically, $90 is still twice as much as I would normally spend on a pair of jeans and no one should consider replacing all their perfectly good normal jeans with these just because they are organic. But every once in a while, I know all women like to splurge. Instead of splurging on a Coach handbag made from cow skin and by 12 year olds, buy a pair of good quality denim you can feel good about!!

Per the constant compaining about price: Poster Jamie hit the mark with the comment about the "real greeners" can't afford any of this. Yeah. That is becuase we aren't marketing to the "real greeners". These products are not aimed at those of you who shop thrift and consume little. What would be the point of that? Those of us who sell green products figured out very fast that you either have no money or are unwilling to spend it. (or both) That is why you are green. Further, we could not stay in business and would not have any impact if we marketed to people who already have low consumption lifestyles.

These products are for middle class, average Americans with moderate disposable incomes who live typical consumption lifestyles. The point is to convert thier consumption to ethically produced goods. That actually has an impact. We know they aren't going to stop consuming & they do not shop thrift. They are not going to change their lifestyle. The best we can do is to change the process and products in their lifestyle.

I used to work in a fair trade store and what I observed was that the hippies couldn't afford the stuff and the yuppies didn't want the stuff. The green movement is doing a fantastic job of bringing fair trade concepts to the market by providing products that the yuppies actually want and will buy. This is why the movement is suceeding. The products meet the needs of the mainstream consumer for whom they are intended.

The second part of this is that as Americans, we are totally used to a price structure based on sweatshop labor. To make a pair of jeans under fair labor conditions in this country means you don't sell them for $40. So you have to make a choice. DO you support your fellow American making a living wage or do you buy the cheaper sweatshop-made good because it is better for your own pocketbook?

I agree with previous comments regarding high prices. While it's a good thing to go green, I can't afford to be THAT stylish. A Canadian company, HTnaturals, has been selling organic fabric casual clothing online and through various well-known retailers and several boutiques for the past few years. Amongst other items, I have a pair of jeans that were reasonably priced, fit comfy, wash well, are soft and so far, have held up really well to almost daily wearing.
The company is now selling in the US market as well. Their website is a work in progress but they have great season-end sales, for the really budget-conscious.
After a bit of research on the company I know their ethics, factory inspection processes, and corporate policies are also very green.

I agree with the many others about the unrealistic prices of "green jeans" and other clothing. I am all for going green as well and have been for a while. It is very expensive to buy these green clothing items and the average person can't afford it. I think that these companies should offer their products in all price ranges so everyone can afford them and feel good about it.

OMG So I totally just found the coolest Go Green/Eco Friendly apparel website!!!! The prices are awesome and the clothes look cool!! I hate the high prices of eco friendly clothes as well, but this stuff is really decently priced. for anyone that wants to check it out the site is www.eco-gear.ca
This stuff is definitely geared towards "real greeners"

I CAN afford to spend $190 on a pair of jeans and I refuse to do it. I don't care how green they are. No pair of jeans needs to cost that much. Plus, the designers charging that much are still using overseas slave labor.

Designers need to get a bigger vision. Sell me a jean that costs $60, is organic, and is made by U.S. workers being paid a living wage, and I'll become your best salesperson.

i want to find eco-clothes that are affordable. i work for the postal service and would like to have pants that will pass postal dress code but be comfortable and eco. i wear dickies multi pocket pants (just has a small pocket on the right leg). and would love to find something similar

I have to agree about the cost. If the idea is to get a large amount of people to go green, then the products have to be affordable for the masses. I can't afford to pay that much for a pair of pants of ANY kind.

I want to buy some green clothes too!
but im 13 and my parent still won't give me an allowance, so im stuck paying with quarters that i find under the couch for now. ive been to a bunch of eco-friendly clothing websites, but i couldn't believe the prices! no way in hell am i going to pay $300 for an organic cotten dress. i love living green and recycling and i want to do so much more, but it would be nice if it was in my price range... so it would be great to find some reasonably priced eco-friendly clothing websites soon!

in terms of prices, eBay has some awesome fairtrade tops and some skirts starting at about fifteen dollars. not always technically green but definitely fairtrade and VERY cute.

I agree, the way to be green is shop at re-sale shops. I get about 95% of my clothes at re-sale places. Not to mention, I could never nor would I ever pay $140++ for jeans. I love great clothes just as much as the next person, but seriously if they are $25 or $225 you can still only wear 1 pair at a time.

I'm saddened by this . We should all be going green , but please.. these prices are scandalous.

Why is everyone complaining! lots and lots of girls are buying $300 dollar jeans and i'm sure as time passes the price will go down. wait till everyone realizes how we're killing the planet but i doubt that will happen anytime soon. in the mean time i'm getting some

What? Lycra?
Lycra is anything but 'green'!

I feel sad to see so many in a China state of mine. Fair trade is just that. The workers in China make about $2.00 a day. I sure couldn't live on that in our economy. I would hate to think that these designers were using Chinese labor to make their $160.00 jeans. I would like to hear from the designers that they are not doing such a thing. If I knew that the jeans were made in the US, I would definitely buy at least one pair just to show my support for the American worker. There aren't enough factory farms working the organic way YET. It isn't that it is so much different(price wise) growing the organic cotton as converting the processing of that cotton to green. As things change all the way down the line pricing will be going down. Until that all happens prices will remain high. Green Organic is almost still a cottage industry. Buy American. We need Our workers at work, making our goods. Its like buying vegetables, buy what you can afford and buy local.

Another way around it - learn how to sew. Buy some natural fiber materials that have not been sprayed and are grown with ecological practices.

how on the green earth am I suppost to get these? Can I get them at Kohl's

Seattle Certified Jeans sells Organic US made jeans for reasonable retail prices. I am waiting until I need a new pair and then, I will hit them up.

certifiedjean.com

I routinely but $150 or more jeans. It's fashion, that's standard pricing. I'm all for paying more for pretty things, especially from smaller companies with clear labor practices.

Since when is Cotton Green? On the same acre of land you can get far more fabric from hemp, and you'll find it equally comfortable and more durable a fabric. then hand wash and hang them dry.