President Trump might have backed out of the Paris climate change accord last year but he clearly wasn’t speaking for Levi Strauss & Co.
The jeansmaker laid out a new “climate action strategy” that is “science-based,” a standard that aims to keep global warming to an increase of less than 2 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial temperatures. That is in line with the broad goals of the United Nations accord hammered out in 2015 in Paris.
Levi Strauss set targets to reduce carbon emissions across its global supply chain by 2025. In that time frame, the company plans to:
* Use 100-percent renewable electricity in its owned facilities.
* Complete a 90-percent reduction in global greenhouse gases at its owned-and-operated facilities.
* Facilitate and encourage a 40-percent cut to greenhouse gas emissions across its supply chain, working to expand the International Finance Corporation’s Partnership for Cleaner Textiles, which helps suppliers by providing technical assistance and access to low-cost financing.
“Business has the opportunity and the responsibility to be a force for positive change in the world,” said Chip Bergh, president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co. “We are proud to be one of the first companies to set science-based targets for our global supply chain, and we hope to be an inspiration for others to follow.”
Bergh, who has helped turn around the company, leading the brand into something of a renaissance, has also been supportive of its various efforts to reduce its environmental footprint, for instance through various programs aimed at cutting down the use of water in production.
Cynthia Cummis, director of private sector climate mitigation at the World Resources Institute, said: “Levi Strauss & Co. has set an ambitious science-based target aligned with the Paris Agreement for its operations and value chain, which will help bring energy efficiency and renewable energy to its suppliers in developing markets. The company’s targets represent the kind of forward-thinking innovation that the fashion industry needs, and are a model for business success in a low-carbon world.”
