Are Levi Jeans Vegan? They should be but, sadly they aren’t! Isn’t it funny how the bulk of enlightened jean lovers prefers trendy made jeans, produced under strict compliance with regards to environmental safety yet, we still have brands like Levi steadily produce non-vegan denim pieces?
You wonder how they incorporate things that make their products non-vegan? Well, the answer is really not farfetched if you are conversant with their pieces.
Carefully take a look at some of the back pockets of your Levi jeans, you would clearly notice the flagrant use of cow skin for patches on it. Asides from the back pockets, you are still likely to see patches made with cows’ skin on different areas of the jean.
Are jeans itself vegan?
Contents
Denim in itself is vegan. This is why it is such an irony that the Levi brand bothers itself about incorporating non-vegan components on a material that is purely and originally vegan.
We know the denim to be a highly sustainable material made of very strong and durable cotton and guess what? These materials are not in any way, gotten from animals!
It is such a shame that upon this fact, we still have some brands like Levi still producing jeans that are non vegan. I mean do you know the impact this act alone has on the environment? maybe we should leave that for a second and talk about the level of cruelty meted out to these animals all because of a patch; a very insignificant patch!
The process of getting cow skin for use as leather
This is a step-by-step analysis of the cruelty faced by animals in the hands of the Levi brand and indeed, any other clothing brand found wanting when it comes to animal welfare.
Patches on Levi jeans are said to be made with leather derived from cows’ skin. For starters, these cows are held in captivity, it is surely a case of confinement as their movements are totally restricted.
That’s not all, they are inadvertently, dealt with different forms of illnesses as a result of the extreme crowding and starvation they are being forced to face.
Furthermore, we see a lot of cases where these animals are castrated and without pain killers too. The final lap of cruelty sees them being transported to where they will be slaughtered – skinned alive and mercilessly killed without been giving anything to numb the pain while they are at it.
How is the Levi animal welfare policy?
On average, we can say it is fair but, can be a lot better. The Levi brand does not make use of any kind of animal skin or hair no matter how enticing they look.
It is also good enough that they made it a policy for the different supply channels meant for the sourcing of every animal product they use to be at least traceable to guarantee transparency. This makes it easy for the brand to be held accountable for any form of inhumane practice.
We say the Levi animal policy can be better and more encompassing as they are still guilty of some things like using leather, feathers, and wool without feeling the need to let consumers know the sources even though they attest to the fact that the brand encourages the use of crutched sheep and hopes to work towards making it commercially viable.
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The impact of producing non-vegan jeans on the environment and planet earth at large
The use of animal leather in the clothing industry has a serious effect on the environment. Contrary to some unfounded claims, leather is not a by-product of the unsustainable food industry.
A couple of the results of some research point to the fact that the practice of animal farming is directly linked to a larger percentage of greenhouse gases.
It amounts to even more than the entire transportation system in the world! Furthermore, the UN’s declaration for a shift in global focus this time, towards a vegan diet stating just how important this move is to deal with the terrible effects of climate crises does not come as a surprise at all.
Did you know that just by turning vegan, you might be able to avoid the waste of about 219,000 gallons of water per year? Now, do the maths and see just how much water is saved with a collective effort.
In the business of rearing animals, you need large amounts of water to plant and harvest crops that they will survive on. Not just that, you would need water to maintain cleanliness and to offer thirsty animals.
As a matter of fact, a cow used for the production of milk is capable of gulping more than 40 gallons of water in a single day.
They drink even more during the dry, hot season. Here’s another fact: to produce a gallon of milk, a cow would need to drink roughly about 680 gallons of water to be up to the task.
You think you have heard it all? There’s more; 2,400 gallons of water have to go down for a pound of cow beef to be produced.
You will agree that this practice is definitely not sustainable hence, why it is advised for people and companies alike to go vegan.
Pollution
This is a visible effect to our environment for even the blind. The amount of waste in form of excrement gotten from animals reared for food or other purposes is alarming.
This can be recycled into manure for fertilizers but the problem lies in the fact that there are none or few processing plants for animal sewage.
To this end, they are then stored in what is called ‘waste lagoons’ other times, they are just poured like that over farmlands leading to the pollution problem.
Our rivers and lakes are not safe from pollution. These are then transformed into breeding sites for viruses and bacteria because of how well these bodies of water are contaminated.
In a bid to avoid polluting the water, you can have some animal farmers get the manure processed into liquid and have them sprayed into the air which is then whisked away by the wind.
This scores them a point as the lagoons and seas are well protected but then; humans residing close by are faced with the unpleasantness of inhaling the toxins from this act which further leads to health complications like irritations, immune and inflammatory issues.
Is Levi an ethical brand?
On paper, the Levi brand seems to have every area of ethical practices in the clothing industry covered. As a matter of fact, they are said to be the first brand to have formulated, terms of engagement document which included a code of conduct bordering on ethical practices in production.
The content of this document was made to apply to all of its branches and supply channels and as a result of the future positive outlook it held, so many other brands were motivated to borrow a leaf from them and replicate the same in their companies.
But, on a realistic note, we all know that it is not enough to have something scribbled on a piece of paper and have it passed off as a law. The ultimate question should be if it is being followed?
Is it? Let’s find out together using the impact on the environment as a yardstick.
Some product study approved by the Levi brand itself has proven that the Levi 501 – a luxury jean collection by the brand, consumed a little over 20% of water in the course of a particular phase of production. The good thing is that the Levi brand acknowledges its lapses and reiterates its commitment to changing that.
The Levi brand’s steady contributions and commitments to sustainable denim production is not exactly been doubted here.
This is because of the impressive moves they as a brand have made to reduce the rate of water consumption. In the year 2020, the brand worked assiduously towards producing a whopping 80% of their products using what they call a ‘waterless technique; duly trademarked by them.
A plan was also set in motion to have gas emissions reduced, falling back on its own direct emissions and consumed power.
Are Levi Jeans Vegan – Conclusion
It is a known fact that the Levi jeans are not purely vegan, despite the fact that the denim fabric is. This deliberate use of leather derived from cows’ skin in the course of producing their jeans is as inhumane as it is uncalled for.
The fact that these animals are tortured and used for sport, all in a bid to make fashion items should be totally discouraged.
As a matter of fact, animal cruelty in its entirety should be frowned against and one would think that a brand as heavy and well experienced as the Levi brand should know that and do better for the sake of the environment and the humans it accommodates.
All in all, we must give them a pat on the back for staying open to studies and research aimed at a more advanced ethical way of production and striving to go by it.
