Leading denim producer, Levi Strauss & Co, recently has announced the expansion of its clothing recycling initiative to all its mainline and outlet stores in the US. This expansion aims to help consumers recycle clothing and shoes. With this, the company takes its commitment to sustainability to a new high by reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills and creating an infrastructure that supports a circular economy by 2020.

Consumers can simply drop off any brand of clean, dry clothing or shoes in the collection boxes at their local Levi’s store. Anybody who brings an item of clothing or shoes to recycle will receive a voucher for 20 per cent off on a single, regular-priced Levi’s item in-store. Most people in the US are familiar with recycling bottles, cans and paper, but still throw away clothing. According to reports, Americans discard more than £28 billion of unwanted clothing, shoes and other textiles every year. Roughly 15 per cent of these items are collected by charitable organisations and others while the remaining 85 per cent end up in landfills.

Michael Kobori, Vice President of Sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co. said that they were thinking about sustainability across all facets of their business and how to shift consumer behaviour towards recycling clothing. He feels that collecting used clothing at Levi’s stores makes it simple and easy for consumers to do their part and also helps their commitment to do the right thing for the environment.