YHTOMIT

Trident University

Katrina Dowdell

Module 2 SLP2

LOG 501

Dr. Kernodle

Blue jeans are made from denim that ensures their strength and comfort. Compared to the original Levi’s today the blue jeans has undergone various modifications to include some other features such as zipper and rivets (Carr, 2013). The decrease in the demand for jeans in the 1980s was followed by the brief surge following the introduction of designer jeans in the consumer market. The blue jeans have remained the same since their first design. However, the product has been versatile in meeting the market demands.

The production of blue jeans requires various raw materials. True blue jeans that comprise of 100% cotton include the threads (Books Llc., 2010). Though the polyester brands are also available, the majority of the blue jeans sold are 100% cotton. Levis Strauss Company also employs dyes especially synthetic indigo to manufacture belt loops, back panel, pockets, waistband, and the leggings. Blue jeans also comprise features such as zippers, snaps, buttons, labels, and rivets. The buttons, zippers, and snaps, however, come from steel industry while the traditional rivets made of copper are obtained from the mining industry. Finished blue jeans are pressed by large steam iron machines after which size tags are punched on the materials. For packaging, blue jeans are placed in boxes after being folded and stacked. The packaging is done according to the color, size and style. The other raw materials come from sources other than cotton such as forest and animal fabrics.

The blue jeans marked ready for storage are packed in larger shipping boxes and delivered to the stores by the trucks or freight trains. Levis Strauss Company has links to various factories that help in manufacturing and finishing the Blue Jeans. The customers here are mostly the respective factories that help in distributing the products globally. The company releases the names as well as the locations of the factories to foster collaboration and promote sector-wide improvement in the performance of the suppliers (Books LLC., 2010). The supplier companies range from small to large and are distributed across the world.

At the retail level, there exists a different type of retailers who sell the Blue Jeans to the consumers including department stores, supermarkets, e-tailer, warehouse retailer, among others (Dunne & Lusch, 2008). Department stores offer various products of the company is a collection of other smaller retail stores. The warehouse retailer, on the other hand, enables Levis Strauss Company to stock, retail and display a variety of goods at competitive prices. Today, the most popular and faster-growing retailer is the e-tailer that promote online shopping. Most customers of the Blue Jeans prefer online shopping since it is convenient and can serve many customers globally.

The EESC that also encourages recycling of used products encompasses various aspects and procedures. After acquiring the raw materials, the manufacturing process that results to various byproducts or wastes begins, the finished products undergo quality control before they are eventually packed for distribution through the various suppliers in the market. The diagram below shows a simple procedure or relationship in the EESC.

EESC Overview and Discussion

EESC involved in the production of the Blue Jeans include: Textile industry, Steel industry, Recycling industry, and Chemical industry.

Textile industry

The major textile industries are located in southern China. The textile industry uses the fabric dyes that contain dangerous chemicals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium making textiles be a dirty business. There have been concerns over the industry’s tendency to dump wastewater into the waterways (Roselyn, 2011). In the recent years, the Xintang’s government in Southern China has cracked down on the polluting factories and put bottlenecks that require the companies to be relocated.

Steel industry

Levis Strauss Company is supplied by the Yiwu Peizhen Industrial Co. Ltd that is located in China. The industry supplement the EESC of blue jeans by supplying some of the required materials including the steel products (buttons, zippers, and rivets). However, the challenge in the industry’s supplies is the non-renewable nature of its products that limits the comprehensive recycling of blue jeans.

Recycling industry

The EESC of blue jeans also explores the support of recycling industries in the reduction of environmental pollution. One of the recycling industries is the Lincoln, Neb. Based Iris Industry in Nebraska. However, the recycling companies face the challenge of recycling some aspects of the blue jeans including the thick seams, look leather label, metal zipper, metal buttons, and the rivets. Attention to such features should be considered to increase to boost the process of full recycling of the blue jeans. Levis Strauss Company has also formed alliances with water recycling firms especially with some of the suppliers in China to ensure high-quality products using less recycled water.

Chemical industry

The ACS Green Chemistry Institute located in U.S now focuses on enabling and catalyzing Levis Strauss Company and other related companies to implement green engineering and chemistry throughout the chemical enterprise globally. The organization advocates for greener process and chemical products following the constant release of harmful products in the environment by the textile industry as well as other blue jeans related industries (In Eilks & In Hofstein, 2015).

References

Books Llc. (2010). Jeans: Denim, Levi Strauss.Memphis, Tennessee: General Books LLC.

Carr, J. L. (2013). Major Companies of The Far East and Australasia 1993/94: Volume 3: Australia and New Zealand. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

Dunne, P. M., & Lusch, R. F. (2008). Retailing. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western.

In Eilks, I., & In Hofstein, A. (2015). Relevant chemistry education: From theory to practice.

Roselyn, H. (2011). China’s Regulatory State. United States: Cornell University Press.