How many gallons of water do you think it takes to produce one
pair of jeans? Levi Strauss & Company knows: typically 919
gallons. The New York Times reports that those 919 gallons
“include the water that goes into irrigating the cotton crop,
stitching the jeans together and washing them scores of times at
home.” For Levi Strauss, that number is too high. That’s why the
noted clothing company has pledged to reduce water use for the
sake of environmental responsibility and as a response to water
shortages possibly caused by climate change. The company has a
few ideas in mind: “Levi Strauss has helped underwrite and
champion a nonprofit program that teaches farmers in India,
Pakistan, Brazil and West and Central Africa the latest
irrigation and rainwater-capture techniques. It has introduced a
brand featuring stone-washed denim smoothed with rocks but no
water. It is sewing tags into all of its jeans urging customers
to wash less and use only cold water.” Levi Strauss also
recommends that their consumers take p