The denim industry is characterized by high consumption of water, energy, and chemicals, generating effluents with dyes, heavy metals, and toxic compounds that are difficult to treat. The objective of this systematic review was to analyze and synthesize scientific evidence on sustainable technologies, processes, and practices to reduce water consumption and optimize wastewater treatment in denim laundries. The study followed the PRISMA 2020 methodology, based on 34 articles retrieved from Scopus. The results highlight technologies such as ozone, laser, nebulization, and enzymes, as well as the reuse of natural materials such as peach pits and rice husk. These alternatives have shown substantial reductions in water, energy, and pollutants, although most remain at experimental stages and face technical and scalability limitations. It is concluded that the integration of clean technologies with efficient treatment systems is essential to reduce the denim industry’s water footprint.
Baltazar et al. (Sat,) studied this question.