REPOST: Would you wear these? Jeans made from recycled plastic bottles

Levi's transforms recycled bottles and other plastic waste into soft, high-quality denim.  Read this article from TODAY.

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They don’t look like they’re made from trash – and that’s the whole idea behind Levi’s new Waste-Less jeans.

The company says at least 20 percent of the material that goes into making this denim comes from recycled plastic bottles and food trays. That means about eight 12- to 20-ounce bottles are reborn in each pair.

“It’s good for people and better for the planet,” said Jonathan Kirby, vice president of men’s design at Levis Strauss. The company plans to turn about 3.5 million recycled bottles and other plastic waste into soft, high-quality denim for its Spring 2013 Waste-Less collection. And just to make sure you don’t miss that fact, Levi’s puts a tag on each pair: “These jeans are made of garbage.”

“We decided to take something that was trash and turn it onto something that was valuable and viable,” Kirby told me. “The end goal is to get people to think a little bit differently about what they do with their waste. We want them to realize that a piece of trash can actually become something else that’s relevant to them.”

Right now, this sustainable denim is being made into jeans for both men and women, as well as the classic Trucker jacket for men. The jeans start at around $68, which Kirby calls “a very fair price for a product of this quality and value.” How do they do it?

The recycled plastic – brown beer bottles (yes, they’re plastic), green soda bottles, clear water bottles and black food trays – is collected from communities across the country and shipped to a manufacturing plant where it is broken down into tiny pellets and spun into polyester fibers. That polyester yarn is then woven with cotton into denim.

The Waste-Less jeans are thin and lightweight, darker than some other denim. The inside of the jeans also looks different. They’re not the typical blue and white. These are more brown and blue.

“The brown bottles and the food trays give the fabric that unique shade and color,” Kirby explained. “You can actually see the recycled material in the garments themselves.”

Is this really good for the earth?

The recycling of plastic bottles has increased dramatically during the last few years. The International Bottled Water Association recently reported that 39 percent of the plastic water bottles in the United States were recycled in 2011. That’s up from 32 percent the year before.

Of course, something has to be done with all of this waste plastic before recycling truly takes place. It must be made into new products, such as plastic lumber, carpets, new containers or clothing. Environmentalists call this “closing the loop.”

“It’s a great way to make sure there’s an end market for recovered materials,” said Darby Hoover, senior resource specialist with the Natural Resources Defense Counsel. “When consumers put plastic bottles into the recycling bins, this helps ensure that there’s a market for them to actually get turned into useful products.”

Hoover points out that this does not decrease the plastic that’s being used to make new plastic bottles – environmentalists would like to see fewer of them used – but it does help keep some plastic waste out of landfills.

“Using recycled content helps decrease environmental impacts across the board as compared with using virgin materials for manufacture,” Hoover told me.

So what does denim made with trash look at feel like? 

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 Levi’s sent me a pair to wear for a few days.

I asked some friends and colleagues to feel the material. Most described it as “smooth”or “soft.” They were completely surprised when I told them there was recycled plastic in the denim and they all wanted to know more.

One person asked if the plastic in the jeans would melt if ironed or thrown in the dryer. The company assured me they will not.

A long-term commitment to the environment

This is not the first environmental initiative for Levi’s. The company’s Water-Less manufacturing technique introduced in 2011 reduces the water used in the finishing process of some products by as much as 96 percent. The company says the Water “We don’t just want to reduce our impact on the environment, we want to leave it better than we found it,” said James Curleigh, global president of Levi’s brand in a statement.

Clearly, Levi Strauss believes it can be a leader in eco-fashion. Vice president Jonathan Kirby told me he’s looking into a number of different sustainable clothing options for next year.

“It’s the beginning of something that will hopefully become a bigger initiative for us,” he said.

David Bergen, former Global CIO of Levi Strauss & Co., has introduced a wide spectrum of software solutions that significantly improve the operations of large-scale businesses.  Follow this Facebook page to get relevant information on the business.

Symptoms of a micromanager

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There is no single formula to being an effective leader. Each organization’s “personality” calls for a different management style, and the range of potential encounters requires a manager to remain flexible in his or her ways. Traditional companies like KFC and other family-run businesses have a code of conduct and a list of situational protocols which are consistently adhered to. Companies like Google and Apple, which require their employees to remain creative and think out of the box, may be more lax with their policies about office decorum and attire. Still, an effective manager is one who remembers to remain within the bounds of his titular duty: managing.



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Because of the need to control all aspects of a situation, some managers involve themselves in even the most minute of tasks– those that ought to be left to the employee’s discretion. Known as micromanaging, this behavior is evident when a leader avoids delegating tasks or monitors project completion too closely. A micromanager will require his or her employees to seek written “approval” before commencing with any task, and will compulsively instruct and check in on them as they complete it. Often– and despite knowing the state of the employee’s work– a micromanager will require frequent, over-specific reports in which he or she will almost always find fault. Should a member of the team commit an infraction, a micromanager will insist on “doing it him/herself” rather than giving the employee a chance. Overall, micromanagers are detrimental to team productivity because they undermine the purpose of having a team.





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An effective manager, David Bergen helped Levi Strauss maintain consistent performance as its CIO. Read about his views on leadership on this Facebok page.

Where teens are a key demographic

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Being a demographic without independent purchasing power, teenagers are sometimes disregarded when it comes to planning where to focus brand and marketing strategies. Self-sufficient adults in the 25-55 range are the most sought-after, while infants and children are the next-best audience because their parents tend to want “the best” for them– or at the very least give in very easily to their spontaneous purchasing whims. Teenagers, whose only income is the money gifted by their parents, were traditionally considered risky audience to sell to. There is no nationwide statistic on how much the average teenager can afford, nor can retail companies coerce their parents to purchasing on the teens’ behalf the way baby products seem to have the power to do.



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In the last decade, product manufacturers and marketing companies alike have both seen the change in the role of the American teen. Although still dependent, to a certain extent, on their parents’ income, teenagers have taken on a new identity. They are the impassioned youth, voice of tomorrow, and one of the biggest influencers in modern media. Music artists, movie actors, and societal personalities crave teenage approval– so much so that there are even “Teen Awards” to celebrate people and brands that have won the hearts of America’s future.



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In appreciating the value of the teenage opinion, major fashion magazines have released issues geared towards 13- to 19-year olds. Teen Vogue, for example, features the same high-fashion couture but makes use of teenage themes, accessories, and real-life scenarios to paint the relevance of the style. If the biggest names in fashion publication is listening to teens, surely there is power in what they have to say.


Companies like Levi Strauss & Co. have had to understand and cater to the teen demand. Read more about responding to the market from the former CIO, David Bergen, on this website.

Why the rich keep working

The American dream is a relative concept. Overall, it advocates that life, regardless of what state it is in, can be improved by traditional hard work. It suggests a minimum wage earner can own a house and maybe even a car, or that middle-class parents can live in a gated community and send their children to a private school by putting in enough hours at their respective work places. Upward mobility is every worker’s ambition, but what happens when they get to the top?

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Living in the rat race, most nine-to-five workers dream of a fortune: an “I quit” sum of money for which they would leave their jobs and never return to any work again. For some, this is a million dollars; for more reasonable or modest livers, “the number” does not even come close to half. It may seem like an impossible figure, but a diligent few have already managed to earn their dream cash prize before retirement age. What is surprising to observe is that, once they reach “that point” in their lives, they do the opposite of what they may have promised themselves as young workers: they continue to work.

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For former CEO Steve Jobs, continuing to work at Apple clearly became about more than money and stocks. Until his illness got the better of him, Jobs continued to dedicate himself to his company because he wanted to see his ideas manifested. A visionary like Jobs could not simply be a spectator; he needed to see his ideas come to life to feel fulfilled before he died. Other top-level company executives like, Alan Meckler, CEO of WebMediaBrands with a net worth is over $400 million; Paul Allen, the lesser known co-founder of Microsoft; David Bergen, former CIO for Levis Strauss, could leave their jobs any minute and have enough money for several lifetimes, but choose to stay for posterity. Perhaps the rich continue to work because, once they get to “that point” in their life, they move past thinking of their work as a “job” and instead come think of it as life.

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Effective leaders produce work that speaks for itself. David Bergen of Levi Strauss provides tips and suggestions on how to maximize any size of team on this Twitter account.

Beating the rain with a sophisticated information system

Unexpected events are a constant challenge to managers. While good leaders can mitigate the effects of any sudden changes on business operations, the ability to do so is often maimed by complexity, particularly in the case of globalized supply chains. But with the development of information systems for business, the challenge has become more conquerable for managers around the globe.

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Today’s globalized supply chains operate amidst various factors that can affect them both positively and negatively. Many of these factors are foreseeable, but some occur without warning. Sudden events, such as earthquakes and other calamities, political upheavals, and epidemics, among others, often have adverse effects on the supply chain.

Primarily, these factors can disrupt logistics and interrupt the smooth flow of products and services from manufacturers to customers. Distance—a common hindrance in any globalized operations—can reduce the manager’s capacity to mitigate the damage done. Products lost to unexpected events translate to wasted resources and unattainable profits.

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Companies nowadays utilize information systems to reduce the losses incurred due to unexpected occurrences. Using them, managers have better access to information on the state of business operations, this regardless of distance. They are also able to make more accurate predictions based on logic and probability.

Moreover, managers can devise solutions using information systems. In the case of disrupted logistics, they can find alternative routes and methods to transport goods within the deadline without exerting too much effort. This can also serve to even out inconsistencies and inefficiencies across the entire supply chain.

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Information systems have multiple uses in today’s organizations. Indeed, they have become indispensable components of any company’s preparation for sudden changes, and one of the best investments in avoiding loss.

During his stint as CIO of Levi Strauss, David Bergen used his expertise in information systems to effect changes that enhanced the company’s supply chain. Learn more by visiting this Facebook page.

Gained a few pounds? Here's how to return (almost) anything

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While many of your friends have known you well enough to give appropriate presents, some become overexcited at bulk sales or simply expect you will love their radical gift idea. Whatever the reason, most holiday celebrators can expect to receive a gift or two they simply wouldn’t keep. Returning the present to the giver is considered rude, while returning it to the store for cash is impossible. Assuming the giver did not include a gift receipt, here are two other ways you can get something you like out of the present you don’t:


Swap it for an item of the same price


You may not have liked the piece you were given, but chances are you’ll find something that suits you in the store’s other collections. Have the cashier determine the cost of your present and find an item you like that costs the same or a little bit more. If there’s an item you’ve been eyeing, now is the time to give it to yourself on behalf of a friend.

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Ask for store credit


If you receive a gift from a store you would simply never shop at, have the value of your item exchanged for store credit. Most major retail outlets allow this and replace the item with a plastic store card. So many shoppers have been in this predicament that third-party gift card websites actually exist to swap or sell store credit. You might want to save the card for a time you’ll need to buy something new– like when you lose all your holiday weight from jogging all summer.


Gift giving can be a tricky process, but it doesn’t have to bog you down. If you’re thinking about returning or replacing an unwanted gift, ConsumerWorld.org has published a list of major store policies to help you get started.

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While working at Levi Strauss, David Bergen made sure customers could shop and return their purchases with ease. Read more about his innovative ideas on this blog.

Dad jeans: David Bergen and denims for working men

David Bergen is the former Senior Vice President and Global CIO of Levi Strauss & Co. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems degree from the University of Nevada and is currently the Managing Director of the global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal.

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Fashion seems to cater favorably to women. Magazines offer hundreds of suggestions for a lady’s seasonal wardrobe. Runways feature more than twice as many designs for the female form as they do men. Retail outlets have created a woman-specific jean cut known commonly as "mom jeans." Men, on the other hand, receive no special mention.


David Bergen was responsible for redesigning Levi Strauss & Co.’s supply chain and deploying new distribution channels that efficiently supported customers like Target and Walmart.

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Men’s fashion seems to conform to a tradition. They are expected to wear pants and shirts, varying only in fit – tight or baggy – and in color trend. Recently, however, clothes makers have began to shift the retail spotlight to the untapped market of men. In the last few years, masculine equivalents of products that were deemed solely for female use have found their way into the shelves, including men’s vanity and hygiene products. Where department stores sold mom jeans, they now sell the dad equivalent.

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Famed actor Ryan Gosling is often quoted in his role as Jacob Palmer, the dating guru in the hit romantic comedy, Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011). In the film, Palmer recites the mantra, "Be better than The Gap." Jeans can and have been made to cater to and flatter the male form. They can be worn with office tops to a regular work day, or on the corporate “casual Friday.” Despite traditional usage, jeans are no longer solely for casual wear.

To read more about David Bergen, visit this website.