Levi Strauss Expanding Water<Less Jeans to Europe With Growth of Its Eco-Initiatives
December 9, 2011 Kyriaki (Sandy) Venetis 
Stock. photo.
Integrated into its growing eco-friendly initiatives to reduce water consumption, energy usage, chemical pollution, and greenhouse emissions, Levi Strauss has just expanded its Water<Less jeans collection to Europe.
In total, the jeans are expected to encompass about 17 percent of the company’s winter collection this year. These jeans will include “over a dozen classic Levi’s jeans, including the Levi’s 501, and Levi’s 511 (slim fit) for men, as well as the Levi’s Curve ID finishes for women,” said the company.
The Water<Less jeans became available in the United States earlier this year, including the Levi’s 501, 511, 514 jeans, and the Levi’s trucker jacket. The spring collection of this year contained more than 1.5 million pairs of jeans with the Water<Less method, saving about 16 million liters of water, according to the company.
The line also includes jeans made with the brand’s traditional rigid finish, which utilized virtually no water in its production. The company also says that it will continue to introduce these finishing techniques to even more supplier factories around the world with the goal of increasing the number.
During the conventional production of jeans, the company says that, “a typical pair of jeans is ‘finished’ in large washing machines and dryers to achieve the many different looks that are popular with consumers. Using traditional garment washing methods, the average pair of jeans undergoes three-to-10 washing cycles – adding up to approximately 45 liters of water per unit.”