Levi Strauss Co is stepping up efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water use in its supply chain.

The jeans giant has signed an agreement with IFC, a member of the World Bank, to help meet its corporate sustainability objectives.

IFC will work with 42 Levi Strauss suppliers and mills in 10 countries – Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Lesotho, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Vietnam – to implement renewable energy and water-saving measures.

It will assess supplier and mill facilities to identify actions that can be taken to boost environmental benefits, including reduced emissions, improved water efficiency and wider adoption of renewable energy supply options.

The project follows a pilot programme launched by the two organisations in 2017 that helped six supply chain companies in four countries – Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam – reduce their carbon footprint by 19% and cut energy and water consumption.

The global textiles, apparel and footwear industry contributes as much as 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions and uses a huge amount of water in the cotton farming and textile production processes.

Liz O’Neill, Executive Vice President, Global Product and Supply Chain at Levi Strauss said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with the IFC to help achieve our science-based climate targets and benefit our vendors and their communities.

“We hope this programme can also benefit others in the apparel industry and help reduce our collective footprint.”

Article source: https://www.energylivenews.com/2019/07/06/levi-strauss-sets-out-to-slash-supply-chain-emissions/