A Cascale Corporate member, Levi Strauss & Co. combines standardized measurement through the Higg Index, open-source manufacturing innovations, and partnerships like the Fashion Renewable Collaborative, to accelerate decarbonization and water stewardship.
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / November 13, 2026 / Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI) is one of the world's most recognized apparel brands, with a global supply chain that accounts for more than 90 percent of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the company's 2025 Sustainability Goals and Metrics Report, Scope 3, Category 1 apparel production alone accounts for 72 percent of its supply chain footprint. To manage environmental performance across hundreds of independent supplier facilities, Levi Strauss & Co. relies on standardized tools, open-source innovation, and pre-competitive partnerships - as Jennifer DuBuisson, senior director of sustainability, shared on Cascale's Source of Good Podcast. Cascale has not independently verified the information presented.
Top Takeaways
- Standardized Environmental Data: Levi Strauss & Co. requires key suppliers covering over 80 percent of global product units to complete the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), establishing a unified dataset for water, waste, energy, and emissions.
- Supply Chain Decarbonization: Target validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) aims for a 42 percent absolute reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions from apparel production purchased goods and services by 2030, from a 2022 baseline.
- Partnership for Renewable Action: Co-founded the Fashion Renewable Collaborative (FRC) alongside Marks & Spencer and Schneider Electric's SE Advisory Services to help suppliers access and adopt renewable electricity across supply chains.
- Water Stewardship Beyond the Fence Line: The "Beyond the Blue" 2030 Water Strategy targets a 15 percent absolute reduction in freshwater use and 40 percent recycled/reused water in Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturing.
- Circularity and Community: Programs like the Wear Longer Project address Gen Z repair skills gaps, while the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan landscape initiative advances regenerative agriculture across 10,000 hectares.
Measuring What Matters: Higg FEM Integration
Because over 90 percent of its footprint sits in Scope 3, Levi Strauss & Co. cannot achieve its climate goals without facility-level data from supplier operations, as shared in its 2025 report. Since 2017, the company has utilized the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), stewarded by Cascale and exclusively available on Worldly, as its core measurement layer.
In the podcast episode, DuBuisson emphasized how standardized data guides action: "The primary data that we're able to get out of Higg allows us to be more targeted in our engagement efforts with facilities," she said. "Information helps us create programs to address where we're seeing challenges." As part of its climate transition plan, Levi Strauss & Co. aims for 100 percent of its Tier 1 key suppliers to complete the Higg FEM annually.
Tracking multi-year data reveals both progress and transparent accountability, according to the FY 2025 report:
- Key wet-finishing suppliers in high-water-stress regions reduced freshwater use by 23 percent from the 2018 baseline against a 50 percent 2025 target.
- Key suppliers diverted 74 percent of nonhazardous waste from landfills in 2025.
- Supply chain emissions from tops and bottoms purchased goods and services fell 10 percent from the 2022 baseline toward a 42 percent target by 2030.
Fashion Renewable Collaborative (FRC)
Recognizing that fabric mills and dye houses account for a large share of supply chain emissions, Levi Strauss & Co. announced the Fashion Renewable Collaborative (FRC), co-founded with Marks & Spencer and Schneider Electric's SE Advisory Services, in September 2026. The FRC is designed to break down barriers to renewable electricity adoption for global suppliers.
Rather than focusing solely on setting targets, the initiative provides hands-on technical guidance, digital learning modules, power purchase agreement (PPA) assistance, energy attribute certificates, and support for on-site renewable electricity projects. By aligning requirements across shared suppliers, the FRC accelerates the transition away from fossil fuels across apparel supply chains. The effort aims to secure 10 additional brand partners by the end of next year.
Water Stewardship and 'Beyond the Blue'
Building on its pioneering Water
DuBuisson explained the philosophy behind the title on the podcast: "The name of the strategy is a recognition that our water strategy goes beyond ourselves to include the industry and the communities where we operate." Key targets and areas of focus under the strategy include:
- 15 percent absolute reduction in freshwater use across manufacturing suppliers by 2030, from the 2022 baseline.
- 40 percent of water used in manufacturing is recycled or reused by 2030.
- Invest in projects that contribute to safe access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in priority sourcing geographies by 2030.
- Educate and empower suppliers to prioritize water resilience.
- Engage in restoration actions at watershed level for priority basins.
The targets are context-based using the World Resources Institute (WRI) Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas to hold suppliers in dry and water-stressed regions to more stringent standards.
The strategy placed community health at the center of the water-climate nexus. "They say if climate change is the shark, then water is the teeth," DuBuisson said. "We know that communities will feel the impacts of climate change most acutely through water."
Landscape Restoration and Circular Innovation
Beyond factory gates, Levi Strauss & Co. connects supply chain resilience with local ecosystems and consumer engagement through these initiatives:
- WWF-Pakistan Regenerative Agriculture: Partnering with WWF-Pakistan on the Levi's Regenerative Resilient Landscape Initiative to train local cotton farmers in regenerative agricultural practices, aiming for nature-positive practices across 10,000 hectares (24,000 acres) by 2028.
- Wear Longer Project: Spurred by an internal study in the U.S. showing 41 percent of Gen Z lack basic clothing repair skills while 35 percent would keep garments longer if they knew how to repair them. The initiative empowers consumers and employees with tailoring, mending, and customization skills to build emotional durability and extend product lifespans. In its first nine months, the program reached nearly 90,000 students in the U.S. and recently expanded its footprint to Europe.
Why It Matters
By integrating standardized data platforms like the Higg FEM with collective energy procurement through the Fashion Renewable Collaborative and basin-level water stewardship, Levi Strauss & Co. demonstrates how legacy apparel leaders can drive systemic supply chain transformation.
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View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/levis-driving-supply-chain-decarbonization-1251036