LS&Co. Unzipped

Welcome to our blog. Here’s where you’ll find a “behind-the-seams” look at what’s going on with Levi Strauss & Co. You’ll hear from a variety of voices, from both inside and outside the company. And you have the chance to share your thoughts. So read on — and weigh in!

Apr 18 2011

Getting It Covered: Improving Access to
HIV/AIDS Care

It may be hard to imagine, but many local insurance plans around the world still do not cover HIV/AIDS. Levi Strauss & Co. is one of only a handful of global employers working hard with local insurance plans globally to make such coverage the rule – not the exception.And they're making progress.Recently, the company negotiated with Mexico’s largest health insurance provider to drop a four-year waiting period for HIV/AIDS benefits. That waiting period was a local standard of coverage.

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Posted By: Gilles Ascensio-Parvy, GMC Services

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Apr 14 2011

Stop the Presses!

If you printed our just-released 2010 annual report … and placed the pages end-to-end …they would stretch more than half the length of a football field.That’s a lot of paper. It’s also one reason why we’re not printing it.This year, for the first time, the Levi Strauss & Co. annual report is strictly electronic. You may download it here. Or view the interactive version here.

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Posted By: Kris Marubio, Levi Strauss & Co. Corporate Affairs

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Apr 12 2011

In It for the Long Haul

I must admit, there were times when coming to work was tough.When my organization -- ACHIEVE, or Action for Health Initiatives, Inc. -- was in its infancy, we lost our first group of advocates to AIDS. This was a decade ago, when affordable, life-saving medicines to treat HIV and AIDS weren’t readily available in the Philippines. 

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Posted By: Malu Marin, ACHIEVE Executive Director

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Mar 25 2011

Why We Remember the Triangle Factory Fire

If you have a good job – decent hours, safe working conditions, health benefits – it’s easy to take it for granted. But today might be a good day to give it some thought and recall when worker rights weren’t as common as they are today.Why today?

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Posted By: Terrie S. Norris, President-elect, American Society of Safety Engineers

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Mar 25 2011

Fire Safety and Levi Strauss & Co.

In her thoughtful post today, Terrie Norris reminded us of the Triangle Factory Fire and why that tragedy 100 years ago is so important to remember.As president-elect of the American Society of Safety Engineers, Terrie understands the importance of a safe workplace -- and the price paid when companies place profits above the safety of workers.

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Posted By: Choke Huckuntod, Levi Strauss & Co. Social & Environmental Sustainability

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Mar 22 2011

Safe Water for All

Today is World Water Day. You may give it only a passing thought. Not Kebedech Hagos, though. For her, it’s a reminder of how far she’s come.Until the Water.org water project, which resulted in a well in her Ethiopian village, Kebedech would walk miles to a river to fetch and carry—on her back—the five gallons of contaminated water that would barely sustain her family’s needs for the day.

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Posted By: Gary White, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Water.org

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Mar 11 2011

All Eyes on Japan

Update - March 22, 2011The Levi Strauss Foundation has announced a donation of an additional $150,000 toward emergency relief efforts to help flood and earthquake victims in Japan, bringing its total donation amount to $200,000.The Foundation’s initial $50,000 donation to the International Red Cross on the day of the earthquake has been followed by donations to the Central Community Chest of Japan, part of the United Way worldwide network, and the Japan Multicultural Relief Fund.

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Posted By: Cory Warren, Editor, LS&Co. Unzipped

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Mar 10 2011

An Original Approach to Women and the Workplace

The eyes of the world have been on Egypt in recent weeks, as thousands of people have taken to the streets to seek greater justice and economic opportunity. Even before the scenes from Cairo’s Tharir Square erupted into public consciousness, signs of progress were emerging.

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Posted By: Aron Cramer, President & CEO, BSR

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Mar 07 2011

We've Come So Far, But...

When I started my career – let’s say – “a number of” years ago, more than half the people in my department were women. This was in the finance organization of a major U.S. carmaker. Having so many female colleagues was, I thought then, both amazing and promising.But guess what happened?

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Posted By: Mary Boland, Senior Vice President, Finance & Distribution, Global Levi's® Brand

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Mar 02 2011

(Green) Parks for People

Imagine growing up without a neighborhood park – a place to run and play and dream. For too many children, that’s a reality. Streets and vacant lots – not the safest places – become the next best thing.

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Posted By: Meghan Pecaut, The Trust for Public Land

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