Yesterday, Fortune published its 2021 Change the World list, ranking Levi Strauss & Co. 22nd out of 53 companies honored. We’re excited to see both our Buy Better, Wear Longer campaign and our paid family leave and paid sick leave policies recognized on the list as examples of how LS&Co. is doing well by doing good.
Buy Better, Wear Longer
“The global appetite for fast, throwaway fashion has serious environmental consequences, something that Levi Strauss is attempting to change with the Buy Better, Wear Longer campaign it launched in April,” Fortune wrote in its citation. Buy Better, Wear Longer encourages consumers to be more thoughtful about how they buy clothing and highlights our shared responsibility for the environmental impacts of apparel. It speaks to the ambition of our own sustainability programming and our willingness to talk openly about over-production and over-consumption, topics long taboo in our industry
Paid Family Leave and Paid Sick Leave Policies
We know that supporting our people makes us a stronger company, and two key recent steps in that effort were introducing paid family leave U.S. corporate and retail benefits-eligible employees and extending paid sick leave to part-time retail employees. No one should have to choose between their paycheck and the ability to care for themselves or a loved one, and too often, the absence of these policies disproportionately impacts people of color and women. While it’s gratifying to have these moves recognized by Fortune, we will continue shoring up our support programs and advocating for national policies, making the case that paid leave policies are good for employees, good for companies, and good for our overall economy.
Changing Business for the Better
The Change the World list recognizes companies that have had a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy. Fortune writers and editors, with help from the Shared Value Initiative, evaluated companies for inclusion based on measurable social impact, business results, degree of innovation, and corporate integration.
This is the third time we’ve made the list, having gotten the nod in 2017 for our Worker Well-being programs and in 2018 for the Screened Chemistry program we developed. We’re proud to have been recognized once again, particularly given what these two pieces of work signify for the company.
