LS&Co. Unzipped

Feb 13 2012

We'll Open the Door for You

Walk past all too many European “High Street” stores -- including our own -- and you’ll find doors wide open. On top of that, you’ll be hit by a blast of air – an air curtain – that separates inside from out.

It’s as if the retailer is trying to heat or cool – depending on the season – the great outdoors.

That’s not the goal, of course. Such a doorway is simply a retailer’s way of saying, “We’re open for business – please come in!” But it does make you wonder.

It made me wonder. And it prompted us to investigate and then invest in sliding doors in some of our more recent Levi’s® stores, doors which open only when someone ventures near. The air curtain kicks in when the doors are open.  

Sliding doors are more expensive, but savings on energy costs make them a worthwhile investment.

At Levi Strauss & Co., we’ve been working on making our stores “green” for several years. For the Europe team, it started in Münster, Germany, in 2008, where we studied how to minimize the environmental impact of a particular store design and its operation. This included lighting that’s 35% more energy efficient than our regular stores at the time of build, as well as Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood flooring and a denim collection station destined for reuse and recycling.

Now, we’re the proud owners of three LEED®-certified retail stores – in Paris, Liège, Belgium, and Birmingham, UK. The LEED® certification means we’ve met high performance standards for Commercial Interiors as established by the US Green Building Council.  The standards are applied in the design process to achieve environmental and human health protection, to reduce energy use and carbon emissions, and to optimize water and materials efficiency.

We're learning from the LEED® certification process – and our own research – how to refit and operate our stores better.  And we’re sharing what we learn throughout the company, with the third parties who work with us, and even with our consumers. Ultimately, we want all of our stores to be better for the planet.

We think the result is stores that complement what’s inside – like our Water<Less™ jeans, crafted using significantly less water, and the fact that we are using Better Cotton and recycled materials in our products.  

So, if the doors are closed on a Levi’s® store in Europe, step closer. They’ll slide right open to welcome you. And we think you’ll like what you find inside.

Posted By: David Peirsman, Director, Levi's® Brand Presentation, Europe, Middle East and Africa
	Tags: Levi Strauss & Co.,Levi's®,Social Responsibility

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Sir david Haddon (not verified) - Feb 17 2012
Since I am a devout user of Levi's Products, and have been for over 35 Thirty Five Years I am going to follow suit by building my new Art Gallery using the LEED® certification process. I am very much into Save The Planet in any way I can, Clean Energy, and building a new Gallery as Green as possible. I am always open to new ideas. Thank You. Sir David Haddon

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