Levi’s has launched a collection made of hemp. Levi’s is an iconic denim brand. The jeans and jackets in the collection are made from a 70/30 blend of cotton and hemp, a method that softens the fiber using very little energy or chemical processing to make it look and feel like cotton. Also, every piece is recyclable, which includes the embroidered jacket, pocket tee, board shorts, western stitched yoke, and the 511 slim fit jeans. The hemp used in the collection has come from a rain-fed field so it has no ground water use and uses 70 per cent less water than cotton.

Hemp can produce two to three times more fiber than an acre of cotton, can detoxify soil by removing harmful chemicals and pollutants while enriching the soil with nitrogen and oxygen and is a more durable material, making products last longer. An estimated 10,000 liters of water are used to produce a kg of cotton compared to about 300 liters to 500 liters of water to produce a kg of dry hemp matter. In the long term, the choice of using hemp over cotton is expected to help combat water scarcity, a growing threat around the world.