Levi Strauss & Co, perhaps the world’s most famous jeans manufacturer, has committed to making all its products from 100% recycled cotton by 2025. The announcement would make the iconic brand the first in the fashion industry to commit to such stringent targets.

The company, worth over $4.5 billion, will move completely away from cotton sourced from cotton fields in favour of using recycled old clothes. To source sufficient quantities of post-consumer cotton, Levi’s ran a programme that rewards customers with a 15 per cent discount if they donate any unwanted clothes for recycling.

At this stage the technology to produce recycled cotton from cotton textile waste is still in development. Levi’s partnered with Seattle-based tech firm Evrnu in 2016 to produce a world’s first prototype pair of jeans made from post-consumer cotton waste. The jeans were made from five old cotton t-shirts, with production of the pair requiring 98% less water than virgin cotton products.

Michael Kobori, Vice President of Sustainability, said Levi’s was committed to transitioning to sustainable practices across its operations.

“Heritage is our bedrock, it’s who we are. But if we are able to articulate to the consumer that we also stand for the right causes and issues, we become much more contemporary and relevant.”

In addition to the commitment to recycled cotton, Levi’s is also planning to expand the Levi’s Tailor Shops. At these locations, customers are able to get garments repaired, altered or customised to reduce the likelihood of them going to landfill.

 

Positive Action

• The best thing consumers can do to encourage greater sustainability in the fashion industry is to exercise your power as a consumer. Always consider first whether you actually need more clothing and, if you do, use your purchase to send a message by choosing the sustainable option.
• If you have old or unwanted clothing always check RecyclingNearYou for options on how to recycle them responsibly before sending to landfill.

 

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Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.