Levi's

Nov 08, 2021

Levi Strauss & Co. is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It launched its most sustainable jean ever recently, as part of its Wellthread collection.

The company was founded in May 1853 by Levi Strauss in San Francisco, California. Levi’s jeans were first invented in 1873 and are now available in more than 110 countries.

The company’s vision is to lead the way to a sustainable world by producing high-quality products from recycled textiles. Levi's sustainable Wellthread collection is made from recycled denim, sustainably-sourced viscose, and cotton.

Levi’s has also been making better choices over the last few years. It’s constantly sourcing more sustainable materials and finding ways to use less water. WellThread is Levi's most sustainable collection to date.

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Sustainability Rating: 6/10

Rating FAQ

Category: Clothing, bags, accessories

For: Women, men, children

Type: Denim, basics, dresses, outerwear, underwear

Style: Rock, casual, classic

Quality: Medium

Price: $$

Sizes: 2XS-XL, 0-18 (US), 4-20 (UK), 32-48 (EU), 6-22 (AU), plus size

Fabrics: Cotton, linen, hemp, lyocell, modal, viscose, polyester, nylon, spandex, acrylic, polyurethane, leather, wool, silk, down, steel

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical & Fair: Yes

Recycling: Yes

Producing country: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Macao, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Vietnam

Certifications: RDS, FSC

Sustainability Practices

"Recycling keeps garments out of landfills and minimizes the use of natural resources. We're transforming old jeans into high-quality materials, moving us beyond traditional cotton recycling, which shortens and breaks fibers. By using high-quality fiber, Levi's jeans last longer, and designing for circularity allows our old jeans to become new jeans, again and again.”

- Una Murphy, Levi’s Senior Innovation Designer

Levi's wants to help you get dressed with a clean conscience. It aims to achieve high sustainability standards to reduce its impact on the planet and better the lives of apparel workers.

Levi's uses innovative techniques that reduce the use of water in the garment manufacturing process. It also supports sustainable practices focused on reducing water and chemical use in cotton cultivation.

Levi's strives to better the planet and the communities that share it at every step along the way. It creates sustainable clothing to change the game for good.

Additionally, Levi's Tailor Shops extend the life of your jeans by patching up rips, mending hems, replacing buttons, and more. You can drop your jeans off at any Levi’s store to help recycle them.

Levi's uses a medium proportion of natural materials such as linen, hemp, and cotton from the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), as well as recycled materials such as recycled polyester.

The denim brand also uses some petroleum-based synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon, spandex, acrylic, and polyurethane, as well as regenerated cellulosic fibers such as lyocell, modal, and viscose.

Levi's is strongly committed to worker’s rights and environmental stewardship across the apparel supply chain. It's supporting factory-based programs that empower workers to improve their lives.

Levi's is also committed to working with stakeholders to supports the concept of a living wage. It assesses and monitors its factories regularly.

Levi's has a Worldwide Code of Business Conduct that applies to all its directors, officers, employees, affiliates, suppliers, and subcontractors. It traces and discloses publicly all its factories and mills.

Levi's doesn't use any exotic animal skin, fur, or angora but it uses wool, leather, silk, and down feathers to make its clothes.

These materials are obtained from animals that suffer immense pain. The fashion industry is responsible for the mass killing of animals for materialistic reasons.

No animal should have to suffer or die to make beautiful and affordable fashion. More ethical and sustainable alternatives exist.

Sustainability Goals

Levi's is continuously trying to impact positively the women and men working in its supply chain.

By 2020, more than 200,000 workers in 113 factories in 17 countries went through its Workers Well-being program, representing more than 65% of total product volume.

Levi's is currently working on the next iteration of the program.

Levi's has reached its Zero Discharge goal in 2020 regarding chemicals used in the making, dyeing, and processing of its textiles. It continues to form new partnerships to deliver safer chemistry.

Levi's plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% in its owned and operated facilities and 40% in its entire supply chain by 2025.

The denim brand is working to reduce water consumption in its operations. It aims to reduce water use in manufacturing by 50% in water-stressed areas by 2025.

Buy Here

Discover Levi's sustainable collections at levi.com.

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What We're Up Against

Multinational corporations overproducing cheap products in the poorest countries.
Huge factories with sweatshop-like conditions underpaying workers.
Media conglomerates promoting unethical, unsustainable products.
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