Levi’s Sets Ambitious Goals To Make Denim Sustainable - Mission

Levi’s Sets Ambitious Goals To Make Denim Sustainable

By Anderson Shao-Wei Hung.

With annual sustainability reports and circularity programs in place, Levi’s takes further steps in making their entire operation greener. 

American apparel giant Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) has unveiled their inaugural climate transition plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, along with an ambitious outline of emission reduction targets by the end of the decade. The announcement comes two weeks after the company reported its highest revenue growth since the end of the pandemic thanks to their momentum in direct-to-consumer business. 

With a 6.18 million USD net revenue reported in 2023, the publicly traded company stands as the world’s top-selling denim brand. The new scheme will also apply to subsidiaries like khaki brand Dockers and activewear brand Beyond Yoga. 

The new climate roadmap includes an aim to reach a 90% total reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions, essentially direct emissions owned and controlled by LS&Co. and indirect emissions from their energy consumption, by 2025, starting from 2016. The plan includes investments in renewable energy and more efficient technology, as well as a global energy management system that guides energy procurement. 2025 will also be the company’s deadline to become fully powered by renewable energy. 

LS&Co. has also joined more than 1000 other corporations on the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to set a science-based climate target reducing scope 3 emissions. In this case, LS&Co. is on track to make hundreds of its suppliers more energy efficient — by aligning and financing suppliers to go through similar transitions. 

“We applaud companies like Levi Strauss & Co. for not only setting clear, ambitious targets aligned to the Paris Agreement, but for also publicly declaring how they’ll make meaningful progress,” said Eliot Metzger, director of sustainable business and innovation at World Resources Institute, a non-profit that leads the SBTi. 

This climate transition plan provides a strategic framework of LS&Co.’s sustainability goals in addition to the progress disclosure in their Sustainability Goals & Metrics reports, which address climate goals and other emphases on circularity and renewable materials. Previously, they have launched the Repair, Reimagine, Recycle initiative that upcycles preloved Levi’s products to shrink their carbon footprint. In 2022, Levi’s engineered the circular line of their signature 501 jeans, which uses recycled and recyclable materials while removing pollutable elements that would potentially disrupt the recycling process. 

“For years, LS&Co. has been deeply engaged in fighting the climate crisis and sought to lead by example in tackling one of the most pressing and urgent issues of our time. Our climate transition plan embodies our commitment to doing our part, reaching our targets, and working with partners across our value chain to enable collective action to address climate change,” says Jeffrey Hogue, the company’s chief sustainability officer. 

LS&Co. will be publishing their latest sustainability report in November for the 2024 fiscal year. Home page banner image courtesy of Unsplash Mnz and Markus Spiske.