Levi’s Latest Sustainable Project: Secondhand

Image Courtesy: Strike FSU

In efforts of becoming an eco-friendlier business, Levi’s has recently launched a new buyback campaign in the U.S. named SecondHand. The program gives the customers the opportunity to trade in old pieces in exchange for a gift card that is equal to the item’s value. The clothes that are exchanged are first cleaned, then they go onto the website where customers can purchase the pre-worn garments.

Levi’s has always been known as America’s denim. Although the brand has been long loved globally, the brand wanted to take initiative to become a more sustainable company as well. Chief Marketing Officer, Jennifer Sey, stated that, “repurposing and repairing clothes require minimal additional energy input, no water, and no dyes to make more jeans.” He continued with saying that, “buying a used pair of Levi’s jeans through SecondHand saves approximately 80 percent of the CO2 emissions and 700 grams of waste compared to buying a new pair of Levi’s jeans.”

Image Courtesy: Popular Mechanics

Looking for the perfect vintage pair of Levi’s jeans consisted of long searches through Amazon, Depop, Poshmark, and thrift stores alike. However, Secondhand will now make it easier for us to find the pair of pre-loved Levi’s you’re looking for.

What Levi’s is doing with this idea of sustainable fashion marks a huge turning point for the industry as a whole, being the first denim brand of its size to create a buyback program like this and to take the responsibility for the entire life cycles of the clothes. While there is a growing trend in purchasing secondhand clothing, Gen Z consumers are another main factor that has influenced Levi’s decision to launch Secondhand. Gen Z consumers are not only fascinated by the search of vintage apparel, but they also put a higher emphasis on shopping sustainably than the generations before it.

Overall, I think that Levi’s made a huge and important step towards becoming a more environmentally conscious brand. I hope that it sets the stage for other companies to follow and allows our society as a whole to become more sustainable shoppers.

Strike Out,

Writer: Melek Turkmen

Editor: Joey Flanagan

Graphics: Gracyn Holloway

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