RiverBlue: Can Fashion Save the Planet?

How Dirty Are Your Blue Jeans?
“Rivers are our planet’s arteries; they’re lifelines in the truest sense – so what happens when a river dies?” – Mark Angelo

In this multiple award-winning feature documentary Internationally renowned river advocate Mark Angelo, who has paddled more rivers than perhaps anyone on Earth, journeys through some of the world’s most pristine waterways to some of its most polluted in an unprecedented global adventure. This quest originally set out to film the world’s great rivers in an effort to protect them, but in the process, uncovered the dark underside of the global fashion industry.

Through harsh chemical manufacturing processes and the irresponsible disposal of toxic chemical waste, one of our favorite iconic products, blue jeans, is destroying our rivers globally.

Shot in 5K with images both stunning and shocking, RiverBlue acts as a “demand for significant change” from the top fashion brands that we all love regarding how our iconic jeans are manufactured.

“The wars of the future will not be fought over oil… the wars of the future will be fought over water”…
Kumi Naidoo – International Executive Director Greenpeace

The textile and clothing industry uses 3.2% of all available fresh water in the world and accounts for 20% of the world’s industrial-related freshwater pollution. This water is used in various manufacturing and dyeing practices.

In denim manufacturing, billions of gallons of river water are siphoned to process hundreds of millions of pairs of jeans. The waste water, noxious chemicals, carcinogens and dyes used in this manufacturing process are pumped as raw toxic sewage directly back into the rivers which serve as the main water source for billions of people.

RiverBlue highlights the principle that the protection and sound management of our rivers and water resources is one of our most pressing environmental and global challenges. The production has traversed the globe documenting the major river systems affected by burgeoning industrial nations, who to date, have implemented little or no environmental protections to accommodate the massive increase in toxic waste created.

As a consequence of NAFTA and increased corporate profits, manufacturers who were legally bound to manufacture in an environmentally responsible manner in North America, have outsourced jean and clothing manufacturing to countries where environmental protections are woefully inadequate and ignored.

With stops in India, the United States, China, Australia, Africa, Indonesia and the United Kingdom, RiverBlue is a global expedition granted with the Flag Award from the US based Explorers Club in recognition of the film’s attempt to push new ground from an exploration, scientific and public awareness perspective.

RiverBlue showcases interviews with environmentalists, manufacturers and river advocates who are focusing their energies towards the avocation of responsible manufacturing, in an effort to reverse the environmental damage that the unchecked waste-water has created in the major river systems worldwide.

The documentary emphasizes the importance and unprecedented necessity of our rivers to the overall well being of the planet and to every living entity that resides there. Although the film profiles some of the threats confronting selected major river systems worldwide, it also introduces inspirational pioneers in the world of fashion who are at the forefront of eco-responsible manufacturing.

RiverBlue highlights some of the new technology that exists in jean manufacturing designed to conserve water and limit the use of toxic chemicals during production. This documentary will showcase designers and brands that aim to make positive changes in their manufacturing practices for the betterment of all involved and the environment.

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