Levi’s jeans draw New York City environmental protest

Protesters in New York City are gathering in Times Square on Thursday to take off their pants to encourage Levi Strauss & Co. to reduce the dependence of its overseas production on coal-generated electricity.

The “Too Dirty to Wear” campaign run by Stand Earth, a grassroots environmental organization, calls for the company to use renewable energy sources.Levi’s responded in a statement to FOX Business, dismissing the claims and arguing it had a “long-standing commitment” to taking action on climate change.

“We’re committed to reducing our emissions by 25% and using 20% renewable energy by 2020,” the company said. “And we are on track to exceeding this goal.”

The San Francisco-based company earned $291 million in 2017, with revenue increasing 8% to $4.9 billion.

Stand Earth is also asking Levi’s to meet, or beat, standards set in the Paris climate accord and reduce carbon emissions by at least two-thirds by 2050. According to the campaign, manufacturing one pair of Levi’s jeans is the equivalent of burning 21 pounds of coal.

“We recognize that Levi’s has talked about environmental and climate issues, and it has taken some important steps towards sustainability,” Todd Paglia, executive director of Stand Earth, wrote in a letter. “However, our planet needs much less talk and far more action. Your voice is more important than you think.” The campaign says it has garnered the support of more than 144,000 supporters online.