For many people, sustainable fashion brings to mind hideous images of hippies wearing handmade clothes and hemp shoes, but high street and high fashion are beginning to understand the importance of creating products which don’t harm the planet.
Levi‘s has discovered a new way to contribute towards a sustainable future which also means denim fans don’t have to give up their jeans.
The new ‘Water<Less’ collection will save a massive 16 million litres of water from its spring jeans range, just by changing the way it makes them.
Surprisingly, a pair of jeans undergoes 3-10 wash cycles using 42 litres of water using traditional production processes, not something consumers would ordinarily think about when thinking about how their jeans are created.
A small change can make a big difference though. Water<Less jeans reduce the water consumption by an average of 28%, and by up to 96% for some products.
The new collection will hit the shops at the beginning of next year and includes more than a dozen styles, including the famous 501’s.
Sixteen million litres of water is just the beginning. Levi’s hope to significantly increase the number of products they produce using the new finishing technique throughout next year.
“What’s different about the Water<Less collection is that we’re still using the same materials and techniques to create finishes for our jeans but we’ve substantially reduced water’s role in the equation,” said Carl Chiara, director of brand concepts and special projects of the Levi’s® brand. “Sometimes, the way to achieve a more sustainable design is to rethink a traditional process and find a way to do it better.”
Levi’s say that the largest water impact comes from the cotton growing process and through the laundry habits of consumers after they have bought the jeans. They are already working on ways to change this though, and for the moment 16 million liters is a good start.
Published on behalf of Lynsey Barber