Humans have been wearing clothes for millennia. Every piece of clothing for the history of mankind has been worn, washed, and ultimately thrown away. Some may get reused by others for a while, but until today, all clothing has eventually become trash.
That all ended today. Today Levi Strauss & Co (better known as simply “Levi’s”) announced the first ever pair of recycled jeans. This feat made possible by Fledge graduate, Evrnu.
When they say “recycling”, this is a recycling process like paper and steel, with old cotton clothing broken down back into fiber, respun into thread, rewoven into fabric, dyed, cut, sewed, and for jeans, riveted.
“This first prototype represents a major advancement in apparel innovation. We have the potential to reduce by 98 percent the water that would otherwise be needed to grow virgin cotton while giving multiple lives to each garment,” said Paul Dillinger, head of global product innovation at Levi Strauss & Co. “Although early days, this technology holds great promise and is an exciting advancement as we explore the use of regenerated cotton to help significantly reduce our overall impact on the planet.”
“LS&Co. was the perfect first partner for us to demonstrate our technology and capability as they are an iconic American company with a product that’s recognized around the world,” says Evrnu CEO Stacy Flynn. “Our aspiration is to build a pair of Levi’s jeans that are just as beautiful and strong as the original and we’re making great progress toward that goal.”
Here at Fledge, we talk a lot about companies that truly change the world. We are incredibly proud to call Evrnu one of our fledglings. One of many examples of companies that are doing good, by doing business.
UPDATE: Days after this big news, Evrnu was awarded as a global changemaker by Fabric of Change. The follow short video includes Evrnu and two other breakthrough innovators:
