Jeans get eco with Levi WasteLess Denim
Jean guru Levi Strauss is launching a new line of denim threads that feature plastic bottles crushed up and blended through the denim. When the WasteLess campaign was introduced last year, the aim was to cut down the amount of water used to produce jeans, reducing the company’s environmental impact.
Traditionally to get a distressed look through jeans, they are repeatedly washed with a bunch of pumice stones, using around 45 L of water per pair. Now using ceramic stones, rubber balls and a unique filtration system in washing machines, Levi jeans only use 4 L per pair to achieve a distressed colour.
On top of this water efficiency, the WasteLess jeans for 2013 will contain at least 20% recycled plastic within their weave. The innovative Levi team found that when plastic bottles are recycled they are sorted by colour, cleaned and sold as polyester flakes. These flakes can then be stretched into fibres, spun into yarn and woven into cotton fabric.
Last year’s campaign saw 1.5 million pairs of jeans made, while this year’s figure is a giant 29 million, with WasteLess jeans having saved 360 million litres of water so far. Arriving in stores early next year, the new WasteLess collection lets you slip on a pair of these garbage-fused denim slacks and wear them with unwashed pride.
Image via ecouterre.