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time-consuming, laboor-intensive and potassium permanganate (KMnO4), a strong
chemical-reliant process of hand-finishing. oxidizer. The chemical has its drawbacks, however. It
• Create “photo-real” finished garments digitally. can irritate workers’ skin and lungs if they aren’t
• Take advantage of on-demand and even wearing their protective equipment, and can be
hyper-local production capabilities. harmful to aquatic life if it isn’t treated properly before
• Eliminate thousands of chemical formulations from being disposed. A couple years ago, when Levi’s
its supply chain. started its Screened Chemistry program, to identify
and eliminate undesirable chemicals from its supply
In what it is billing as the biggest change in more chain, the first one it realized it needed to phase out
than a decade to a supply chain that turns out 150m was potassium permanganate. Overall, the new
pairs of jeans each year, the apparel company has process will help the company reach its commitment
begun deploying a legion of lasers that by 2020 it to eliminate discharges of hazardous chemicals by
hopes will replace almost all the humans doing the 2020. In addition, using fewer chemicals in washes
labour-intensive, and sometimes toxic, finishing work. and rinses will help the company expand its program
Levi’s is introducing its new innovation at its major to recycle water at its facilities.
factory partners across the world, says Liz O’Neill,
the company’s chief supply chain officer. “This is not Levi’s has vowed to completely eliminate the
just something we’re experimenting with and certain discharge of any hazardous chemicals into the
programs are going to be made this way,” she says. environment. This new finishing system has the
“We’re fully rolling this out.” potential to go a long way toward helping them reach
that goal. As of today, more than 50% of all Levi’s®
The process reduces the number of chemicals products are made with Water<Less® techniques.
needed to produce today’s endless variations of The potential is to reduce up to 96% of the water
worn and faded jeans, according to Levi’s. It is normally used in denim finishing, the final stage in
In 2013, Levi’s established their Eureka Lab, a potassium permanganate, to lighten certain areas, common to finish a pair of denim jeans using pumice making a pair of jeans. By 2020, Levi’s has set goal
research and development centre that combined and manually distress them with sandpaper, using stones and 15 types of chemicals, including for 80% of all Levi’s® products to be made using
technology and fashion. This innovation lab’s latest dremel tools to create holes. At a Levi’s supplier, the bleaches, peroxides, enzymes, acids, lubricants, Water<Less® innovations.
breakthrough is Project F.L.X. (short for future-led result is a room full of workers doing the “dry wetting agents, and softeners. One finishing
execution) — a new way of styling jeans that utilizes processing” jobs of manually hand-sanding or chemical Levi’s says it plans to do away with is Integrating computer-aided design systems and
software and lasers instead of sandpaper and distressing jeans one by one, based on a sample
chemicals. Project F.L.X. was built in-house at pair hanging in front of them. On average, a worker
LS&Co.’s Eureka Innovation Lab by a team of makes two to three pairs per hour. Levi’s has
designers, developers, chemists and engineers recently unveiled new tech, which can automate
passionate about revolutionizing the apparel industry many new aspects of the company’s denim-making
to better meet consumer needs while also doing process, from the design and prototyping, to the
right by the planet and the people who work in the manufacturing, to catering to consumer demand. automated manufacturing offers apparel makers Machines may lack the personal touch of hand craft,
apparel supply chain. Project F.L.X. could transform more than the obvious savings on labour costs. The but they also don’t get repetitive motion injuries. And
the jean finishing process, or when the pants get Levi’s designers use new software to sketch out a advantages may include their precision can reduce environmental waste.
given their signature distressed look, from the specific look for a pair of jeans. Then, they send that 1. It cuts turnaround time and reduces unsold
prototype stage all the way to mass production. Levi design file to the robot, which uses lasers to recreate inventories. Levi’s developed new software that lets Under its new operating model, Levi’s says lead
Strauss worked with Spanish company Jeanologia, the look on a basic pair of jeans. Instead of each designers digitally prototype new styles and send times can shrink to weeks, or in some cases just
which specialises in industrial lasers, to develop the prototype requiring between 12 and 18 steps, the their files directly to vendors. Combined with the days, giving it the flexibility to see what shoppers are
new methods. Since 1993, Jeanologia operated with process is now just three. Project F.L.X. also laser distressing, the system cuts design and buying first, and then finishing inventory to match. At
the ambition of advancing sustainable apparel streamlines the process of replicating the look of a development time in half. its partner factories, it plans to keep a stock of
manufacturing by delivering disruptive technologies, pair of genuinely vintage jeans. A designer simply 2. It’s more precise. Computers are more exact than anywhere from three to five base washes, depending
including ozone, laser and e-flow finishing systems. takes a photograph of the jeans, illustrates it, and even seasoned craftsmen. This precision not only on the fabric, for each style of jean the factory
The company’s like-minded focus on scalability was send it to the robot. Wherever there’s a hole or a rip improves quality control but enables new forms of makes. The factories can do the finishing with lasers
essential to supporting LS&Co.’s end-to-end, in the illustration, the laser puts a hole or a rip in the design innovation. as needed. Levi’s has already been testing the
transformative vision. jeans. The robot completes in 90 seconds what 3. It’s more adaptable. By reducing setup costs, process at its own factories, though. (It owns two:
would take a human worker eight to 12 minutes. CAD-driven manufacturing systems offer the promise one in Poland and one in South Africa.) It’s also
Levi’s offers over a thousand-different finish looks Once a designer decides on a look, Levi’s can use of efficient short-run production, including working with its major partners right now to get their
per season. They’re all produced with very the digital file to accurately mass produce it in their customization. operations ready.
labour-intensive, repetitive motion jobs, and a long factories across the globe. Specifically, Project F.L.X. 4. It responds to public concerns about labour
list of chemical formulations. Traditionally, Levi’s can enable to: conditions and environmental impacts. Although The introductory video can be watched at
might sponge or spray on chemicals, such as • Replace manual techniques and automate the major brands have cleaned up the worst conditions, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=143
distressing jeans is difficult, unpleasant work. &v=SMDlbNpE6dU

February/March 2018