Levi's

Levi Strauss founded the company in 1853 as a dry goods business during the California Gold Rush; the first blue jeans patent with Jacob Davis was granted on May 20, 1873. Now publicly traded on NYSE under ticker LEVI, the company generated $6.28 billion in FY2025 revenue. The Haas family (Levi Strauss descendants) controls approximately 67–75% of voting power through dual-class shares. CEO Michelle D. Gass, appointed January 2024, oversees approximately 16,500 employees and 3,000+ retail locations in 110+ countries.

Levi's sustainability infrastructure is among the most developed in fashion. The company pioneered supply chain accountability with its Terms of Engagement in 1991: the first comprehensive workplace Code of Conduct in apparel. The Fashion Transparency Index scores Levi's at 60%, more than double the industry average—an interactive supplier map covers 99.5% of Tier 1 and 94% of Tier 2 factories. The Water

The living wage question remains the brand's most significant ethical failure—in 2010, Levi's became the first company ever suspended from the Ethical Trading Initiative for refusing to accept the principle of a living wage, As of 2024, there is still no evidence workers are paid living wages. The company sources from countries including Ethiopia where workers earn as little as $26 per month. The Worker Well-being programme reaches 195,000 workers with financial literacy and health training, but does not address the fundamental wage gap.

Circularity efforts include SecondHand (launched October 2020, partnering with Trove for in-store buy-back and resale) and Tailor Shops for in-store repairs. The WellThread collection features cottonized hemp, organic cotton, and Circulose (recycled denim pulp) designed for durability and eventual recyclability. Total 2023 greenhouse gas emissions were approximately 3.7 million tonnes CO2e, with Scope 1 and 2 reduced 77% from the 2016 baseline. SBTi-validated targets aim for net zero by 2050.