the apparel industry to conduct a life- cycle assessment of some of its major products measured the environmen- tal impact of its 501 jeans and Dockers from cotton fields to consumers' clos ets. The results were surprising. Levi's found that 49 percent of the water use during the lifetime of a pair of 501 jeans occurred at the very beginning, with cotton farmers. Another 45 percent of the water was used by consumers to wash their jeans, typically about 100 times. Levi's customers were also re sponsible for nearly 60 percent of the energy used to make and care for a pair of jeans. It turned out that the manufac- turing process, where Levi's can exert the most control, had the least impact on water and energy use. So Levi's joined the Better Cotton Initiative, a group of companies that work with local nongovernmental