Levi Strauss & Co (Levi’s) has saved 1 billion litres of water since 2011 through its Water<Less process, which reduces the water used in garment finishing by up to 96 percent, the clothing company said on Wednesday.
It has also released an update on it 2007 study that examined the environmental impact of Levi’s products – Product Lifecycle Assessment (LCA). The new study analysed 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.
The study shows that of the nearly 3,800 litres of water used throughout the lifetime of a pair of jeans, cotton cultivation (68 percent) and consumer use (23 percent) 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. The new LCA expands on previous research to better understand the impact of cotton cultivation and includes data from the world’s primary cotton producing countries, including the United States, China, Brazil, India, Pakistan and Australia. It also analyses consumer care data from new markets, including China, France and the United Kingdom, to understand the costs and benefits of differences in washing habits.
To reduce the impact of cotton consumption, Levi’s 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. Levi’s 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.
The denim company will also continue to work toward using less water during manufacturing by expanding the Water<Less process to include more Levi’s products, such as tops. By 2020, the Levi’s brand aims to make 80 percent of its products using Water<Less techniques, up from nearly 25 percent today.
The new LCA also reveals that Americans use more water and energy to wash their jeans than consumers in China, France and the UK It shows that consumers in China wear their jeans, on average, four times before tossing them into the wash – and if American consumers did this, they could reduce the water and climate change impact from washing their jeans by 50 percent.
"It’s time to rethink autopilot behaviours like washing your jeans after every wear because in many cases it’s simply not necessary," said Chip Bergh, CEO and president of Levi’s. "Our LCA findings have pushed us as a company to rethink how we make our jeans, and we’re proud that our water stewardship actions to date have saved 1 billion litres of water. By engaging and educating consumers, we can fundamentally change the environmental impact of apparel and, ideally, how consumers think about the clothes they wear every day."