Levi Strauss & co. enlarges its clothing recycling initiative

Global denim leader, Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) made expansion of its clothing recycling initiative to all Levi’s mainline and outlet stores in the United States. The company is making it easier for consumers to recycle clothing and shoes, underscoring its commitment to sustainability by reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills and creating an infrastructure that supports a circular economy by 2020.

Consumers may drop-off any brand of clean, dry clothing or shoes in the collection boxes at their local Levi’s store. Any consumer who brings an item of clothing to recycle will receive a voucher for 20 percent off a single, regular-priced Levi’s item in-store. Following the recent launch of the new Levi’s denim collection for women, this expanded recycling effort supports the introduction of Friday Fashion Exchange events that invite women to try on the new collection and bring their gently worn jeans for recycling. These events will take place every Friday in all U.S. Levi’s mainline stores until August 28.

“We’re thinking about sustainability across all facets of our business and how to shift consumer behaviour to make recycling clothing the norm. As an industry leader, we consider all phases of our product lifecycle, including stages beyond our direct control like the product’s end point. Collecting used clothing at our stores makes it simple and easy for consumers to do their part and builds upon our commitment to do the right thing for the environment,” said Michael Kobori, Vice President of sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co.

Expanding clothing and shoe recycling is the latest endeavour in LS&Co.’s broader sustainability goal of creating an infrastructure that supports a circular economy by 2020. In the apparel industry, this refers to designing a product from cradle-to-cradle rather than cradle-to-grave.