Levi Strauss & Co. probably isn't the first company that comes to mind when you think about water. You're probably more likely to think of a drinks manufacturer, where water is a more intrinsic raw material to the end-product and who regularly assess their water consumption.
As a clothing company our primary focus has always been on creating jeans that are on the leading edge of design and style. However, we make an effort to do so in a way that reduces the environmental impact of the manufacturing process.
Levi Strauss & Co. has always taken a "profits through principles" approach. We're working to build sustainability into everything that we do. In 2007 we decided we needed a more rigorous and credible assessment of our impact on the environment. In particular, we wanted to better understand the real impact of our products in their entire life-cycle, a cradle-to-grave study, so that we could create a sustainability program that was more comprehensive and meaningful.
We started with the basics: taking one of our most iconic products, a pair of 501® jeans. We worked with third-party organisations to look at every possible impact our jeans could have – from cotton in the ground, the washing of the jeans, to the eventual disposal of the product.
The water impact became clear straight away: more than 3,000 liters of water are used during the full product cycle of a single pair of Levi's® 501® jeans. We found that 49% of this water is used to grow the cotton and 45% is used when our customers wash their jeans. The remaining 6% is used during the manufacturing process of the jean.
In order to achieve the many different looks that are popular with consumers, most jeans are washed and dried in a laundry, which requires a lot of water. We refer to this in the apparel industry as the "finishing process". We set ourselves the task of making the most incredible jeans we've ever done, but with much less water.
We're working on something we call "Water<Less" - jeans that use less water in the finishing process. We used the same materials and techniques but found new ways to apply them to reduce water usage. We're launching the Water<Less initiative in the US in January and later in Europe. On average a pair of jeans uses 42 litres of water. Our Water<Less collection in the US will reduce water consumption by an average of 28% and up to 96% for some new products in the line.
Most water used in the lifecycle of our products falls outside of our direct supply chain – from how cotton is farmed to the way and frequency that consumers wash their jeans when they take them home. One of the questions we asked ourselves was, how do you affect positive change in areas you don't control?
We've joined forces with other brands and retailers to form the Better Cotton Initiative to see more sustainable cotton grown around the world. The initiative aims to reduce the use of pesticide, address water use and soil health and improve labour standards and profits for farmers.
We're also challenging people to think more about line drying by running consumer contests to highlight the energy savings in hanging your jeans outside instead of always using the dryer, and we're reminding them to wash less - you don't need to wash jeans every time they wear them.
If you talk the talk, you got to walk the walk. If you believe in sustainability, you need to try and build it in everything that you do and show others the way. Levi Strauss & Co. has never been afraid to take a stand. We see sustainability as a journey and we are committed to it.
Geert Peeters is Levi Strauss & Co supply chain vice president for Europe, Middle East, Africa & South Asia
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox
