BEAUTY OF BECOMING, A CONVERSATION WITH JADEN SMITH ON WORLD WATER DAY

At Levi’s^®, water has long been a central issue. In 1992, Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) established the apparel industry’s first wastewater quality guidelines—guidelines that were then scaled to include all of the brand’s garment manufacturing suppliers in 1994. In 2011, Levi’s^® introduced its Water<Less finishing technique, which today accounts for the finishing of at least least 70 percent of Levi’s^® jeans and Truckers. To date, Water<Less has helped us save more than 4 billion liters of water in manufacturing, and we’ve saved another 9 billion liters through water recycling programs. We’re scaling the use of hemp, which uses less water than conventionally grown cotton, in our products. And through our 2025 Water Action Strategy, we’ve pledged to halve our manufacturing water use in areas of high-water stress by 2025.

Jaden Smith shares this commitment to water. In 2019, he co-founded the environmental non-profit 501CTHREE, which works to provide clean drinking water to underserved areas. Using their own mobile water filtration system called The Water Box—which was developed in response to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan in 2014—the organization has distributed over 38,000 gallons of safe, free water to places like Flint, Newark, and Los Angeles’ Skid Row.

And with the arrival of World Water Day 2021—a day first designated by the United Nations back in 1993—it’s a chance to reflect on the progress made towards addressing the world’s water crisis, and, more importantly, to look forward towards what needs to be done. So, as we all work to raise awareness around water access and clean water, here’s a glimpse of what Levi’s^® and Jaden Smith have to say on the subject.

Levi's®: How did interacting with the ocean help you appreciate the importance of water as a life force?

Jaden: You know, when I was eleven years old, I would surf in the ocean, and my surfing coach would tell me that the ocean is alive. And then my environmental teacher would tell me that the ocean was dying. And from that point on, I realized that the ocean truly did have a life force and that we needed to protect it at all times.

Levi's®: What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges to getting people to understand the impact of environmental racism?

Jaden: I think some of the biggest challenges are just getting people to accept that climate change is real and that it affects people in Black and Brown communities disproportionately. When there’s floods, when there’s terrible things that happen in cities, when there’s drought, it’s going to affect Black and Brown communities first. And that is environmental racism. But people need to first understand the environment, and then racism. And then, both of them together, which might take some time. But we’re here for it.

Levi's®: Have you seen any positive changes or steps since first beginning work as an environmental activist?

Jaden: Yes. I have seen the largest environmental march happen right in front of my eyes in New York, when a lot of kids my age used to not care about this. Or I would be studying the environment and talking about it, but people maybe just didn’t understand. And then Greta came along and really lit the flame of inspiration inside of the youth. And I feel like that’s what we really needed, and it led to the biggest environmental march of all time. So yes, I have seen profound changes happen since the start of my environmental journey.

Levi's®: What do you feel are some of the biggest obstacles to cleaning up water supplies, both in the US and abroad?

Jaden: I think the biggest obstacle is just getting people to be aware of contaminated water. And getting people aware that babies are drinking water with lead in it, and it’s giving them long-term brain damage. And once people are aware of it, then we can all come together and create a solution.

Levi's®: What are some everyday steps people can take to help clean up both the world’s oceans and the world’s water supply?

Jaden: For both of those things, it’s about what type of products you use. What products you buy can really make sure that you lower your carbon footprint. Also, when it comes to plastic pollution in the ocean, or dirtying up the water supplies, there are different techniques to producing different products so that they’re done in a more efficient way. So it’s always about seeing where your products are made, how they’re made, who they’re made by, who they’re hurting and who they’re helping. And that can give you a better gauge on which products go with your own morality as a person, and how you feel about the environment.



Jaden talks more about his water journey in his Beauty of Becoming film out today.


Watch here —