Levi Strauss & Co., a member of the USFIA Board of Directors, launched a tool to educate consumers about how they can save water and the planet by washing their jeans less—as well as some exciting data on how the company has contributed to sustainability.
Levi Strauss & Co.’s Product Lifecycle Assessment (LCA), released on March 17th, is an update on the company’s 2007 study that examined the environmental impact of their products. The new study analyzed the complete product lifecycle, probing deeper into the environmental impacts of cotton in key growing regions, apparel production and distribution in a range of locations, and consumer washing and drying habits in key markets.
According to the new study, Levi Strauss & Co. has saved more than 1 billion liters of water by the Water<LessTM process, which reduces the water used in garment finishing by up to 96 percent. By 2020, the Levi’s® brand aims to make 80 percent of its products using Water<Less™ techniques, up from nearly 25 percent today.
Additionally, of the nearly 3,800 liters of water used throughout the lifetime of a pair of jeans, cotton cultivation (68%) and consumer use (23%) continue to have the most significant impact on water consumption. 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.
So, Levi Strauss & Co. launched the #WashLessPledge, encouraging consumers to wash their jeans less—or not at all!—between World Water Day on March 22nd and Earth Day on April 22nd. And if everyone in the United States would wash their jeans after every 10 wears instead of every 2, we could save more than 270 billion liters of water—the equivalent of the annual water needs for the entire city of San Diego, California.
To reduce the impact of cotton consumption, LS&Co. is working with the Better Cotton Initiative® (BCI) to train farmers to grow cotton using less water. Based on the latest BCI harvest data available, in 2013, cotton farmers in China reduced their water use by 23 percent compared with farmers who were not using BCI techniques. LS&Co. plans to continue working with its global suppliers with the goal of sourcing approximately 75 percent Better Cotton by 2020, up from 6 percent today.
For more information on the program, visit http://store.levi.com/waterless.
If you’re interested in learning more about water use in textiles, we encourage you to take a look at Kingpins 2029: The Transformers in Amsterdam in April, which USFIA will be attending.
THE LIFECYCLE OF A PAIR OF LEVI’S® 501® JEANS — SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
- Water Consumption: Nearly 3,800 liters of water are used to make a pair of jeans. Fiber production, predominantly cotton (68%), consumes the most water, followed by consumer care (23%).
- Climate Change: Of the 33.4 kg of carbon dioxide produced during the lifecycle of a pair of jeans, consumer care (37%) and fabric production (27%) generate the most significant climate change impact and energy use.
- Expanded Scope: By expanding our scope to include leading cotton-producing countries, we’ve seen the water consumption from cotton cultivation increase, since the amount of water used to grow cotton varies significantly across the world. Also, by including new consumer markets we’ve found that washing and drying habits vary by region.
- Impact: By wearing jeans 10 times before washing, American consumers can reduce their water and climate change impact by 77 percent, U.K. and French consumers by 75 percent and Chinese consumers by 61 percent.