Levi’s partners with social enterprise for jeans collection drive

The donated jeans are provided to Clothes to Good to assist in the creation of employment opportunities for South African women in need, and ultimately keep jeans out of landfills.

Micro-business programme

Clothes to Good is a value-centred, fully-inclusive social enterprise that is committed to operating as a green ecosystem. Among the organisation’s initiatives is its micro-business programme. The programme currently empowers 108 women – 56 of whom have children with disabilities – to become successful entrepreneurs in their communities by selling recycled, pre-loved clothes.

Jeans that are not in a re-sellable condition are upcycled into new items, including toys for children with disabilities. Clothes to Good will recycle and upcycle the jeans donated from the jeans drive initiative, through its fully-inclusive green ecosystem. Its team is able to weigh, sort and categorise the donated jeans. This sorting process is guided by the European Union Waste Hierarchy for textile recycling, and all Levi’s apparel collected will be recycled on levels 1 – 4.

“We are excited to partner with Clothes to Good on this initiative, as it’s a priority for us to drive towards true circularity. Our jeans are made to last, which is good for the environment because repurposing jeans uses a fraction of the energy and water it takes to make new ones. We want to continue to educate consumers to donate and recycle anything they’re no longer wearing to benefit the environment and the community,” says head of marketing for Levi’s South Africa, Candace Gilowey.

Any items that are re-usable in their current form will be used to help mothers of children with disabilities to start their own micro-businesses selling this product. All jeans that cannot be re-used in their current form will be assessed for upcycling, and these items will be processed into early childhood development and disability-specific toys and resources.

Home and lifestyle product pop-up

Additionally, Levi’s and Clothes To Good will be upcycling a portion of the donated jeans into various Levi’s home and lifestyle products to showcase how jeans can be re-imagined, and these items will be sold at a pop-up in Sandton.

From 28 September to 4 October 2021, Levi’s fans in the Sandton area will have the opportunity to purchase this limited-edition range of upcycled home and lifestyle product made from the Levi’s donated jeans, with all proceeds from sales going to Clothes To Good. The pop-up will be hosted in Sandton City Mall near the Levi’s store for a period of one week.

“Our dream is to empower; especially mothers of children with disabilities, to produce these upcycled products from the convenience of their homes, while also caring for their children and positively impacting our planet,” says Tammy Greyling, operations director and occupational therapist of Clothes to Good.

Conscious consumers can support the jeans drive initiative by dropping off their jeans at one of the following participating Levi’s stores: Waterfront, Century City, Cavendish, Tyger Valley, Sandton, Eastgate, Cresta, Clearwater, Fourways, Menlyn, Mall of Africa, Centurion, Mall of the North Polokwane, Gateway, Pavilion and I’langa (MP).