Life Cycle of
the Jean
Paige Mumford
Angela Kong
Michael Tzeng
Per. 2 IED
Overview
Raise & Extract
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Cotton Farming in the fields
Half of water used
in product’s full
life cycle
< 5% of raw materials
used are sources other
than cotton
Indigo dye farmed in fields
Process
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Fabric Production
Textile mills turn cotton fiber into fabric
Dye is extracted from the indigo plant
In Mexico - largest mill supplier has waste water
treatment plant
Can recycle approx. 75% of its water 
production, rest rooms, landscape irrigation
Manufacture
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Contracted suppliers
Cut, sew, finish
Buttons are added onto to cloth
Transportation & Distribution
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Low carbon-using transport.
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rail and container ships
to retail, online, wholesale locations
Use
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Clothing article
Largest environmental impacts
Reduce lifecycle climate change impact by 50% line drying & cold water washing
58% of energy & 45% of water from
lifetime in this phase
Dispose
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Recycled fiber
new fashions/products
 housing insulation

Levi’s - recycled denim
insulation in San Francisco
 24 billion lbs clothing per year  landfills
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Citations
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Camp, Scott, Gordon Clark, Laura Duane, and Aaron Haight. "Life Cycle
Analysis and Sustainability Report." Http://www.uvm.edu.
Http://www.uvm.edu. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.uvm.edu/~shali/Levi.pdf>.
"An Environmental Product Declaration of
Jeans." Http://www.ademe.fr/internet/eco-jean/EPD_en_jeans_v2.pdf. Agence De
L'Environnement Et De La Maîtrise De L'Energie. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.ademe.fr/internet/eco-jean/EPD_en_jeans_v2.pdf>.
"Goodwill Green." Goodwill of Silicon Valley. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.goodwillsv.org/goodwill-green>.
"Life Cycle of a Jean | Levi Strauss & Co." Levi Strauss. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.levistrauss.com/sustainability/product/life-cycle-jean>.