Sustainable denim in Europe: this is how C&A does it

For two years now, C&A has been making jeans in Europe again. This is proving to be no mean feat: in a German factory, the company is banking on automation and innovative production techniques to bring a sustainable and affordable collection to market.

No environmental footprint

C&A closed its last ‘old’ German factory in 2004 and subsequently moved its textile production largely to Bangladesh, the cheapest country in the world for the fashion industry. However, the fashion company is now retracing its steps: the FIT Factory in Mönchengladbach (standing for “Factory for Innovation in Textiles”) is a first test of bringing fashion production closer to home again, as part of the brand’s sustainability strategy. The site opened in autumn 2021 and RetailDetail was allowed to take a look behind its usually closed doors.