1) Levi Strauss and

Sustainability

2) LS&Co’s Chemical
Management System

3) Screened Chemistry
Program

4) Industry Approach

5) Sustainability, Supply
Chain and Industry
Challenges

6) Conclusion

7) Further Reading
 1.1
Corporate Goal

LEVI STRAUSS & CO. IS DRIVEN BY STRONG VALUES, CREATIVITY AND

HARD WORK. USING INNOVATIVE, SUSTAINABLE AND PROGRESSIVE
PRACTICES ISN’T JUST HOW WE MAKE OUR JEANS AND OTHER
PRODUCTS — IT’S A PRINCIPLE WE VALUE IN ALL OF OUR WORK.
 1.2
Brief History and Brands

For jeans and garment finishing

Amylase Cellulase Bleach or Pigments or reactive

enzyme enzymes Peroxide tints

Desize Abrade Oxidize Tint

 1.3
Supply Chain
Design Prototype Mills

Sewing
Plant
Retail Sundries and
Laundry
 1.4
Meaning of Sustainability
 1.5
Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals

1990 - many apparel and footwear companies have been working on the
restriction of harmful substances in products.

2011 - ZDHC programme formed to catalyse positive change in the

discharge of hazardous chemicals across the product life cycle.
 1.5
Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals

By
2018
Alkylphenol Perfluorocarbons
Ethoxylates

CREATING TRANSPARENCY
 2.1
Restricted Substance List
Used by many brands since the 90’s.

Compiled annually by Levi’s since 2001.

Risk based approach.

Contains list of chemicals that could have an impact on

consumers, workers or the environment.

Could be used in products but within permissible limits.

Used to comply with regulations.

 2.2
Manufacturing Restricted Substance List
Upgraded form of RSL.

Concerned with eliminating chemicals prior to

manufacturing.

Restricted chemical use throughout the factory.

LS&Co adopted the MRSL published by the ZDHC.

 2.3
Global Effluent Requirements
Introduced in 1992.

Quality guidelines for industrial wastewater

treatment.

Crucial, since a large amount of water was used to

wash jeans.

Applied to laundries first before expanding it to

include all suppliers.
 2.4
Screened Chemistry Program
Completed in 2015.

Took Sustainability Upstream to the design phase.

Helps designers be more proactive at the beginning

of product development.

Chemicals evaluated throughout the supply chain

including raw materials in

● Garment Finishing (Laundries)

● Fabric Dye and Finishing (Mills)
● Sundries
2.4
 2.5
Partners
Industry Leader with influence.

Combined MRSL with ZDHC.

Screened Chemistry Program based on existing chemical

assessment methodologies

● US EPA
● Green Screen for Safer Chemicals

ToxServices
 3.1
What’s the Big Deal?

STEP 1: Develop a Scoring Algorithm

To recognize formulations that

exhibited degrees of toxicity.
 3.1

STEP 2: Working with Vendors

(Laundries)

To identify chemicals used in LS&Co

products which would require screening.
 3.1

STEP 3: Chemical Supplier

Would disclose product formulation

ingredients - CAS Number + Ingredient %
to ToxServices
 3.1

STEP 4: Hazard Score for the Chemical

Formulation
Weighted average of ingredient scores

Range: 50 to -50

Green/Preferred: 35 to 50
Yellow/Needs Improvement: 20 to 34
Red/Phase Out: 19 to -50
 3.1

STEP 5: Picking Alternatives to Red

 3.1

Pilot Program started in 2014 with 3 Vendors

To establish a baseline related to vendors and

chemical management.
3.1
 3.2
Sharing is Caring

ToxServices charged $1500 per CAS number

Suppliers not charged for screening a previously

screened CAS number.

Early Adopters
● Garmon
● Dystar (Singapore)
● Beyond Surface Technology (Swiss)
● CHT (Germany)
 3.3
The Good…..

Original Plan: Let Chemical Suppliers pay for it.

New Plan: Levi’s pays for it to get more

companies on board.

Further Incentive: Levi’s would cover the deficit

if profits did not cover investment cost.
 3.4
…..and the not so Good

Suppliers wanted Levi’s to pay for their “passion”.

High R&D, Certification and Opportunity Costs.

Local suppliers were reluctant to change.

 4.1
LS&Co.’s Screened Chemistry program was based on two
existing chemical hazard assessment methodologies

● Green Screen for Safer Chemicals

● US. EPA Safer Choice Program

These methodologies assessed human health and

environmental hazards posed by individual ingredients within a
chemical formulation.
 4.2
United States Environmental
Protection Agency
.
● It is an international standard.

● US. EPA identifies the requirement products and their

ingredients needed to meet to earn the Safer Choice
label.
 4.3
Green Screen
● Green Screen is a hazard assessment classifies a
substance’s chemical hazards on 18 human health and
environmental endpoints ranging from carcinogenicity to
skin sensitization to flammability.

● It is a benchmarking tool.

● A chemical hazard screening method developed by the NGO

Clean Production Action (CPA).

● An organization that promotes safer alternatives to toxic

chemicals in products and supply chains.
4.3
4.3
 4.4
bluesign®
● The bluesign® system is the solution for a
sustainable textile production.

● Sets and controls standards for an environmentally friendly

and safe production.

● The biggest opponent of Levi Strauss’s Screened Chemistry

Program.

● Levis will benefit working with bluesign.

 4.5
Competitive Advantage
● Being the industry leader as a brand which has established a chemistry
screening program.

● Being a benchmark for other brands.

● As more companies and suppliers contribute, the costs will decrease and
it will be easier to implement the Screened Chemistry Program.

● Chemical companies would receive a certificate and be able to use that

to show other customers that they were “more green” than
competitors(competitive advantage for the chemical suppliers).

● Working with Garmon(chemical supplier) which is a greenscreen

certificated and a flexible company.
 5.1
Industry Wide Challenges
● Scaling. Individual action will not be sufficient.

● Bluesign and other industry-wide standards(many RSL’s and MRSL’s).

● Collaboration of different kinds of brands(eg. sports & fashion).

● Collaboration of different suppliers and vendors in the supply chain.

● Costs(new chemicals and machines).

● Resistance from chemical companies for screening their products.

● Length of the time needed to screen chemicals.

● Convincing the chemical companies that their intellectual property is safe

and confidential.
 5.2
How ZDHC Works
● An apparel industry collaboration of various brands to eliminate
hazardous chemicals from the supply chain.

● LS&Co. Screened Chemistry Program was presented in ZDHC

meeting.

● ZDHC wanted to work with LS&Co. to put together an accelerator

group of five or six brands that would pilot the program.

● LS&Co. was meeting with Nike in 2016 to see how they could
collaborate on certain aspects of the program.

● LS&Co. Screened Chemistry Program could be a ZDHC program

shared by all brands.
 5.2
How ZDHC Works
1. MRSL
2. Wastewater quality
3. Audit Protocol
4. Research
5. Data & Disclosure
6. Training
5.2
 5.3
Current Scenario

● By the end of 2015, LS&Co. had screened chemical

formulations for its products at three of its laundry
vendors.

● Expanded to another 20 laundry vendors in 2016.

● Collaboration with other ZDHC brands such as Nike.

 5.4
Possible Solutions
● Collaboration of many brands will decrease the cost
and will provide a faster shift to green chemicals

● Establishment of an Industry Standard

● Financial support to suppliers and vendors from

industry leaders such as LS&Co. And Nike

● Working closely to bluesign, GreenScreen and other

establishments to create a common standard.
 5.5
Future Scope
● To have 100 percent of its laundry vendors implementing
the Screened Chemistry Program by 2020.

● Continue to push the Screened Chemistry Program through

the ZDHC mechanisms and pilot with the brands who were
willing to partner.

● Dye assessment and screening.

● Continue working on green chemistry, sustainability and for

a greener world.
 1 billion litre of water saved
since 2011!

Water savings of up to 96% during

the finishing process!

100% Recyclable
Jeans!

11.9 million plastic bottles recycled

to make Jeans since 2013!
Levi Strauss:
http://www.levistrauss.com/sustainability/

Bluesign:
http://www.bluesign.com/

Green Screen:
http://www.greenscreenchemicals.org/practice/apparel

US EPA:
https://www3.epa.gov/

ZDHC:
http://www.roadmaptozero.com/

CAS Registry:
http://www.cas.org/content/chemical-substances/faqs