Fast Company Wellthread

LS&Co. Gets Nods for ‘World Changing Ideas’

Paige Siegall, Unzipped Staff
Levi Strauss & Co.
April 29, 2020

This week, we were recognized by Fast Company as part of its list of 2020 World Changing Ideas. Each year, the publication recognizes businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and committed to flattening the curve when it comes to the climate crisis, social injustice, and/or economic inequality.

This year, we were recognized for three key initiatives we led:

– The Time to Vote initiative was honored as a finalist within the politics and policy category. Launched in 2018, Time To Vote is a nonpartisan, business-led initiative we co-launched with Patagonia to ensure employees across America don’t have to choose between voting and earning a paycheck. Participation includes giving employees access to and information about early voting or vote-by-mail options, offering paid time off on Election Day or making it a day without meetings. The work continues this year leading into the 2020 election with plans to double business membership and further drive voter turnout.

– Our push of the CEO senate letter for gun safety received an honorable mention in the corporate social responsibility category, demonstrating our commitment to reduce gun violence in the United States. In September 2019, Levi Strauss & Co. President and CEO Chip Bergh joined more than 140 other CEOs in sending a letter to the U.S. Senate asking them to take action on gun safety by passing legislation that would require background checks and extreme risk protection orders (also called red flag laws).

– Our latest Levi’s WellThread™ collection was featured as a finalist in the consumer products category. This collection introduced our revolutionary cottonized hemp blended garments, featuring rainfed hemp fiber that is treated to look and feel like cotton, and that is now being used widely across both Wellthread™ and mainline Levi’s® product.

We are honored to have been recognized for these world-changing ideas by Fast Company alongside other such notable companies as Chobani, Sweetgreen and Dell Technologies as well as organizations like She the People and Trust for Public Land.

See the full list of honorees now and look out for the print issue on stands May 5.