We have mentioned Waste<Less in the past, but never profiled the company as a whole. After attending Levi’s press preview last week in New York City, we really got a deeper understanding of the line and thought it a worthwhile topic on which to focus.
The idea stemmed from Levi’s Water<Less jeans they launched in 2010. The concept originated with jeans and then continued to roll out to all product lines. In 2012 Levi’s proudly made 29 million Water<Less units saving over 360 million liters of water.
In keeping with the sustainability/eco aesthetic the Waste<Less collection launched in spring 2012 and offers a range of good lookin’ jeans that are made from garbage, specifically an average of eight recycled plastic bottles per pair of jeans. Check out this little video to get a better sense of the bottle to jean concept.
We spoke to Jonathan Kirby, VP of Global Men’s Design at Levi’s to hear more about the line.
Tell us what inspired this collection.
With this collection, we’re doing our own small part by taking waste – in this case, recycled bottles and trays – and making something new from it. By using recycled materials in our products, we’re incorporating less virgin cotton to make our Waste<Less collection, which means we’re using fewer environmental resources to make our products.
Is the production of cotton a serious issue for Levi’s?
We know from our lifecycle assessment that cotton is one of the biggest sources of environmental impact in our products. As such we’re always looking for alternative sustainable fibers to create less impact on the planet.
How does this Waste<Less line relate to the brand as a whole?
These products enhance the overall Levi’s brand – we know that consumers expect more from the companies they choose in today’s global world than ever before. A company is not just expected to make a great product – it’s also expected to be socially responsible and do good for the community and the environment. Consumers want to feel good about their decisions; to know that their buying choices are supporting responsible companies that are taking real leadership roles in helping the planet. That’s why we’re working to build sustainability into everything we do – from the cotton fields, to our supply chain, to our stores, to our products. Our Waste<Less collection and Water<Less collections show consumers that they can purchase sustainably made products without sacrificing quality or style.
