Levi Strauss & Co., San Francisco, has introduced Levi's® WasteLess™, a collection of denim jeans and trucker jackets made using materials derived from post-consumer recycled (PCR) polyethylene terephthalate bottles and food trays. The 2013 collection will include a minimum of 20-percent PCR content, keeping more than 3.5 million containers out of landfills.

Brown, green, clear and black containers will be sorted by color and processed into fiber to be blended with cotton. Cone Denim, Greensboro, N.C., will weave PCR/cotton and cotton yarns into fabric for the collection.

"By adding value to waste, we hope to change the way people think about recycling, ultimately incentivizing them to do more of it," said James Curleigh, global president, Levi's brand.

November/December 2012