A new clothing line by Levis is being made in 100% recyclable cotton, as part of a broad project that seeks to promote conservation and protect the wellbeing of workers in the garment industry.
Dockers® Wellthread is a test collection produced in factories taking part in a pilot initiative that works to improve conditions for the people producing its range of trousers, jackets, sweatshirts and t-shirts.
This holistic approach developed out of a First Movers Fellowship at the Aspen Institute, won by designer Paul Dillinger, in which he explored how to work within creative constraints and still come up with profitable and sustainable design solutions.
He challenged designers to use fewer fabrics and 100% cotton to create more durable clothes that could be recycled. And he demanded that the clothes be made by workers in wellbeing pilot factories. The idea became a reality at Levi's Eureka innovation lab.
The Dockers® Wellthread collection uses an innovative garment-dyeing process of cold-water pigment dyes for tops and salt-free reactive dyes for trousers and jackets, which means less water, less energy and fewer chemicals. The fabric is dyed on site when it is needed, which saves energy and is more cost-efficient. Reinforced buttonholes, pockets and points of strain make the garments stronger and longer lasting.
The Improving Workers' Wellbeing pilot is being run in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Haiti and Pakistan. There are more than 3.5 million apparel workers in Bangladesh and 2 million in Pakistan. The pilot project focuses on economic empowerment, health, education, equality and safety.
According to Levis, the collection is the opposite of disposable, fast fashion and has reinvented the design process to incorporate sustainability. The collection was launched early in 2014.
Levi Strauss founded the company 160 years ago on the principle that trousers should be more durable. The company set up a labour and environmental code of conduct for suppliers in the 1990s that is now an industry standard.
Jackie Wills is part of the wordworks network
The Guardian Sustainable Business Sustainability Case Studies contain articles on all the initiatives that met the criteria for the GSB Awards.
