If there's one brand that needs no introduction, it's Levi's. Best known for its jeans, Levi's also produces jackets, t-shirts, shorts, skirts, overalls, socks, boxers, sunglasses and bags. The list of products is large and varied. However, what you may not know is the brand's commitment to sustainability practices.
From early on, Levi's has been concerned about its environmental impact. According to data made available by the brand, nowadays a person consumes on average 17 times more clothes than in 2006. Besides, it is estimated that more than half the clothes produced by fast fashion brands are discarded in less than a year. These figures are alarming when you think about the environmental impact of the clothing industry. The equivalent of a rubbish truck full of clothing is burned or left in a landfill every second. Because of this, Levi's maintains that the way its products are made is just as important as the products themselves and their longevity.
Buying "eco-friendly" garments alone is not enough. Any garment produced has a negative impact on the environment, even Levi's. The brand itself says so. In order to combat this, the North American company does not encourage you to stop buying, but to think carefully about what you buy. Levi's believes that brands should think more about the product they generate and that consumers should be conscious when buying, thus, Levi's position is to create timeless pieces, which are thought to last, both in terms of quality and style.
The mission is ambitious, at a time when the consumption of clothes has doubled in the last 25 years. Levi's wants to change the fashion industry. The campaign "Buy Better, WearLonger" besides asking what it says in the name, calls for the purchase of second-hand clothes, either in vintage shops or in Levi's own shop, Levi's SecondHand. As you may already know, Levi's pieces get more and more comfortable with use, so what the brand suggests is that you take clothes with history and write their next chapter yourself.
When it comes to sustainability Levi's has well-defined parameters. The goal is to use less: less water, less chemicals, less carbon and less waste. In addition, the bet on sustainable fibres such as hemp, tencel and recycled polyester is present in 75% of the brand's products, and the goal is to reach 100% by 2025. While the use of detencel and recycled polyester is increasingly common, the brand is making history by investigating the use of softened hemp. A variant of cannabis sativa, hemp grows faster, uses less water and leaves soils cleaner and healthier when compared to cotton.
Over the past few years, the US company has invested in strong internal communication to raise awareness of various current issues. In 2009, with "GoForth", the brand invited consumers to face life's challenges and build a better reality. Getting out of the routine, recreating, reinventing and overcoming our limits was the challenge. Five years later, with "Live in Levi's", the brand shared stories of various customers. The motto was to show that we all matter and that Levi's was ready to accompany us in what came next.
Today, you can find "Beauty of Becoming" on the brand's platforms. Levi's takes us through the stories of 15 people fighting for a better world. Athletes, activists, artists and creators who have been defending racial and gender equality, the environment and the rights of people with disabilities. The aim of the campaign is to show that no one is born knowing and being everything. Our greatness is achieved through our experiences and self-exploration. To show this, the brand features the stories of people who have achieved amazing things, such as Naomi Osaka, Jaden Smith, Brandon Flynn and Xiye Bastida.
Change starts with us
The environmental impact of a garment doesn't end when it's produced or purchased. The way you care for your jeans, for example, is just as important, because the number of times you wash them will dictate the overall water consumption of the garment. Levi's wants to reduce the amount of water used throughout the entire process, from planting the cotton to the various washes we do at home. In fact, the brand advocates that the less often you wash your Levi's the better. At least the conventional way. According to the company, a few minutes in the freezer is enough to kill germs. Did you know that it takes over 2,500 litres of water to produce one cotton t-shirt and over 7,500 litres to produce one pair of trousers? That's the equivalent of eight glasses of water a day for one person for three and a half and ten years respectively. This consumption is so high because the raw material used, cotton, is a plant that needs a lot of water. Furthermore, according to the World Economic Forum, water pollution is also often caused by the fashion industry, namely in the process of dyeing clothes.
Over the past 30 years, water consumption has been an important issue for Levi's. With the creation of the Water < Less programme, the brand has implemented a series of technical innovations that save water when compared to traditional techniques. In addition, company's behaviour encouraged other brands do same.
By 2025, Levi's wants to reduce water consumption by 50% in production that takes place in countries at risk of water stress. According to the United Nations, more than two billion people live in areas where the need for water is greater than the available quantity or where poor water quality restricts its use-this is called water stress. In addition, more than half of the world 's population experiences water scarcity for at least one month a year, making the fight against water pollution even more important.
With Levi's work, more than 4 billion litres of water have already been saved in the production of clothing and another nine billion have been harnessed through water recycling programmes. The brand is charting a sustainable path and is very proud of it. What about you?
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