Levi Strauss Sustainability Assessment: Profits Through Priniciples
Autor: nailil14 • September 8, 2012 • Essay • 752 Words (4 Pages) • 1,333 Views
Sustainability of Levi Strauss & Co.: Profits through Principles
Levi Strauss & Co. is a San Francisco based company with a vision for sustainability that reads “We will build sustainability into everything we do so that our profitable growth helps restore the environment” (Levi Strauss & Co. website, n.d.). Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co), operates in 110 countries and employs nearly 17,000 workers; nearly half of its $4.8 billion net revenue is from outside the United States (US). The company has a well-established presence in the US, Canada, Western Europe and Japan and plans to expand in India, China, Russia, Brazil and other emerging markets (http://www.levistrauss.com/about/global-workplaces).
In the 2011 Annual Report, LS & Co. President and CEO Chip Bergh wrote “Everything we do is rooted in our values of empathy, originality, integrity and courage.” LS&Co has been a pioneer in acceptance of workforce diversity and an advocate of workers’ rights around the globe. This report will evaluate the sustainability practices of Levi Strauss & Co., recommendations for improvements and ways to operationalize these recommendations.
Analysis
About Levi Strauss & Co.
On May 20, 1873 Levi Strauss, a businessman, and Jacob Davis, a tailor, received patent #139,121 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (Levi’s heritage, n.d.). Business acumen, an innovative design, and $68 to file the patent created an industry for the riveted denim waist overall that in the 1950s would become known as “jeans”. Already a well-respected business for 20 years, LS&Co was changed forever by the riveted denim waist overall, of which Levi Strauss was the sole vendor. In the 1980s, LS&Co revolutionized the apparel industry again with khakis, coinciding with the adoption of casual business attire.
Current sustainability practices
“Levi Strauss & Co. has exemplified a values-led business since founder Levi Strauss first set up his dry goods firm in San Francisco in 1853” (Mirvis, Googins, & Kinnicut, 2010, p. 321). One year after establishing his business, Levi’s $5 donation to a local orphanage created a legacy of philanthropy and community service that continues to thrive today. LS&Co’s has received recognition in the area of CSR/Sustainability, Equality, HIV/AIDs, Worker’s Rights
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