Unless you’re buying raw denim, your jeans have likely undergone a finishing process. It’s the last but most crucial step in denim production, giving jeans a broken-in look and feel from day one. Unfortunately, finished denim uses a lot of water. We’re changing that.
In 2011, we established more than 20 different Water<Less® manufacturing techniques, which help us produce the same jeans you love while reducing our water usage. So far, we’ve saved more than 3 billion liters of water (and recycled another 5 billion liters).
OUR GOAL: BY 2021, 80% OF LEVI'S® JEANS AND TRUCKER JACKETS WILL BE MADE WITH WATER<LESS® TECHNIQUES.
SO WHAT DOES A WATER<LESS® TECHNIQUE LOOK LIKE?
SAVING WATER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN PROFITS
WE’RE ALSO FIGHTING THE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS ON OTHER FRONTS.
OUR 2025
WATER ACTION STRATEGY
- Reducing water we use in high-stress areas by 50%
- 80% of our factories and fabric mills will become distinguished Water<Less®
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN
One pair of jeans can use up to 3,800 liters of water in its lifetime, and 23% of the water used during that cycle comes from how you care for your denim. Here are a couple of ways you can help save water: 1. Wash your denim less. You’ll preserve the color, fabric and a lot of water if you wait longer to fire up the washing machine. 2. If you do wash them, make sure it’s always on cold to save energy. 3. Between washes, you can hang your jeans in the sun to kill bacteria.