Levi Strauss & Co, the Californian blue jeans pioneer, has recently released an update on its environmental impact study from the year 2007. The study, essentially Levi’s new Product Lifecycle Assessment (LCA), examined the impact of Levi products from production to consumer usage on environment. The study shows that of the nearly 3,800 liters of water used throughout the lifetime of a pair of jeans, cotton cultivation (68 per cent) and consumer use (23 per cent) continue to have the most significant impact on water consumption. The report further highlights that consumer care is also responsible for the most significant energy use and climate impact, representing 37 percent of the 33.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide emitted during the lifecycle of a jean. Curtailing the impact of cotton consumption in the supply chain, Levi is has partnered with Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) to train farmers to grow cotton using 23 per cent less water. The company plans to continue working with its global suppliers with the goal of sourcing approximately 75 per cent Better Cotton by 2020, up from 6 per cent today.
While the previous research has prompted Levi to launch initiatives for encouraging consumers to adopt care methods that use less energy and water, the release of the report coincided with the announcement by the company declaring savings of a billion liters of water since 2011 through its Water<Less™ process. The process reduces the water used in finishing processes by up to 96 per cent. By 2020, Levi aims to make 80 per cent of its products using Water<Less techniques, up from nearly 25 per cent today.
