Levi Strauss & Co. has launched the Wear Longer Project, a nationwide education initiative developed to teach high school students clothing repair skills.
Levi Strauss & Co. has launched a nationwide education initiative aimed at providing high school students with the practical skills needed to repair, alter, and extend the life of their clothing — an effort grounded in new research showing a disconnect between Gen Z’s sustainability values and its hands-on repair knowledge.
“Every year, millions of wearable garments end up in landfills, many taking centuries to decompose. By teaching repair, customization, and sustainable care, the Wear Longer Project interrupts that cycle,” Alexis Bechtol, director of Community Affairs at Levi Strauss & Co., said in a statement.
Developed in partnership with Discovery Education, the Levi’s Wear Longer Project introduces students to foundational techniques such as sewing, patching, hemming, and customization through free, standards-aligned classroom resources and in-person workshops. The program targets grades nine through 12 and is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing curricula rather than function as a standalone extracurricular.
Levi’s research underpinning the initiative found that while Gen Z leads participation in thrifting and upcycling, 41 percent of respondents reported lacking basic clothing repair skills. That gap, the company argues, limits the real-world impact of circular fashion behaviors that depend on durability and reuse.
Wear Longer Project
The education push arrives amid mounting concerns about textile waste in the United States. According to data cited by Levi’s, Americans discard an estimated 81.5 pounds of textiles per person each year, a pace that translates to more than 2,100 pounds of clothing waste entering landfills every second nationwide.
Rather than framing sustainability solely around new materials or recycling infrastructure, the Wear Longer Project focuses on garment longevity — an approach increasingly emphasized by environmental researchers as one of the most effective ways to reduce fashion’s overall footprint. Extending the usable life of a single garment, even modestly, can significantly lower its cumulative environmental impact by reducing demand for new production.
Levi’s positions repair not as a niche skill but as a core literacy, reconnecting students with practices that were once commonplace but have faded as fast fashion accelerated production cycles and lowered price thresholds.
The program will initially launch in San Francisco high schools, with workshops hosted at the Levi’s Eureka Innovation Lab before expanding to classrooms across the United States and, eventually, international markets. Levi’s employees will serve as volunteer mentors, bringing hands-on instruction into schools and community settings as part of the rollout.
Chief Executive Officer Michelle Gass has framed the initiative as a continuation of the company’s long-standing emphasis on durability, noting in company materials that Levi’s products were historically designed to be repaired rather than replaced.
The launch of the Wear Longer Project also takes place as the fashion industry faces growing pressure over its environmental footprint. The United Nations has estimated that fashion is responsible for between two and eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, placing apparel among the more carbon-intensive consumer sectors worldwide.
Levi’s strategizes on sustainability
Levi Strauss & Co. has spent the past several years expanding its sustainability strategy beyond materials and into resource use and product longevity. In 2023, the company released an updated framework titled 2030 Water Strategy — Beyond the Blue, outlining goals to reduce water use, improve water quality, and strengthen climate resilience in communities connected to its supply chain.
The strategy followed a previous plan introduced in 2019. Levi’s reported a 27 percent reduction in freshwater use, a meaningful improvement that nonetheless fell short of its original 50 percent reduction target. The revised roadmap sets new benchmarks, including a goal to use 40 percent recycled water in key operations, alongside equipment retrofits and process optimization intended to further reduce water demand.
The company has also tested circular business models aimed at keeping garments in use longer. These efforts have included a trade-in program that compensates customers for worn denim, redirecting used products away from landfills and back into resale or reuse streams.
Levi’s leadership has framed water stewardship as a long-term operational priority rather than a short-term environmental gesture. “Our 2030 Water Strategy outlines how we’ll continue to lead on water stewardship, not just by reducing our own impact, but by helping build resilience in the places that need it most,” Gass, said.
The Wear Longer Project shifts attention to the consumer side of sustainability, though, addressing how clothing is used, maintained, and kept in circulation once it leaves the factory floor.“ It’s not just about saving clothes,” Bechtol said, “it’s about building skills, fostering creativity, and honoring the Levi’s heritage of durability and quality.”
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