Water>Less jeans
/ Courtesy: NBC News
Most of you have this in your closet, and now it's going green. Blue jeans are now being made with less water and fewer chemicals, and it's all in the name of the environment.
When Levi Strauss puts the label "Water>Less" on its jeans, it doesn't mean it was made without water. It means less water was used from the cotton fields to the store shelves.
Levis says it used to take 46 liters of water during the stone washing phase to get that cool worn-in look. Now, they do it with one liter or less.
The jeans giant says it is putting two million new pairs of jeans in stores made with better cotton grown in India, Brazil and around the world. "Farmers are trained and they're educated to really farm in a different way that are more sustainable, that use less water, that use less chemicals," says vice president Michael Kobori.
They're also asking customers to cut back on water and electricity usage by not washing their jeans every time after every wear, using only cold water and air drying them.
Some people have floated the notion of the freezer as a better option than the washing machine. "That may be a little urban legend, if you put your jeans in the freezer it kills the bacteria I'm not sure that's scientifically proven, but that's going around," Kobori says.
Levis says their "Water>Less" line is making an impact on the environment and on customers. The company insists it's genuine and is hoping other companies will follow in its ever shrinking global footprint.
Would you try the Water>Less jeans? Does it make you more likely to buy from the company? What steps do you take in your daily life to be more environmentally-friendly? Leave your thoughts below.
