Environmental group Stand.earth’s “Too Dirty to Wear” campaign has demanded Levi Strauss & Co. ramps up its efforts to reduce pollution and increase the use of renewable energy across the entire supply chain. The group draped a banner above Levi’s sign at its downtown San Francisco headquarters, changing the company’s name to “Levi Strauss & CO2.” The group also released an open letter urging Levi’s employees to do more and talk less.

Stand.earth wrote, “We recognize that Levi’s has talked about environmental and climate issues and it has taken some important steps towards sustainability, however, our planet needs much less talk and far more action. Your voice is more important than you think. In the last decade, how employees feel about where they work has been one of the biggest catalysts for new corporate behaviour and policies. You want a workplace that reflects your values — Levi’s can be that kind of company in its walk, not just its talk.”

The “Too Dirty to Wear” campaign wants Levi’s to make a leadership-level climate commitment for the entire supply chain to meet or beat the Paris Climate Agreement, a 30 to 40 per cent reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. The campaign requests the company to transition its entire supply chain to renewable energy, with a minimum of 50 per cent of energy sourced through renewables by 2035 and a long-term carbon emission reduction target of 66 per cent by 2050.

Stand.earth is of the view that Levi’s can catalyse demand for renewable energy in China and India and accelerate the shift away from coal and other fossil fuels. It reports coal is the top source of electricity in the company factories. Levi’s works with 170 factories in China, where coal powers 70 per cent of the electrical grid and in 44 factories in India, where coal powers 75 per cent of the electrical grid. Todd Paglia, Stand.earth Executive Director advices, “Levi’s current climate commitments are important steps, but much more is urgently needed. Already, climate change kills more than 300,000 people each year. Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh has the opportunity to help his company fully realize its own core values of empathy and integrity by leading the apparel industry toward ground breaking climate solutions.”