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ConsumerWatch: Levi Strauss To Begin Selling Jeans Made With Recycle Plastic

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) - When it comes to fashion, it's often said everything old is new again.

Levi Strauss, San Francisco's jeans makers, is now making "green" jeans with materials straight from the recycling bin.

It latest line of jeans, which hit the shelves early next year, are literally made of garbage. The new, so-called "WasteLess" jeans are made of crushed brown and green plastic bottles. Each pair of jeans contains 20 percent recycled plastic and cotton.

The intent of the new denim collection is to reduce Levi's environmental impact from start to finish of the manufacturing process.

"We talk about sustainably in very specific terms and we talk about recycling and we talk about, hey, when you're finished with something, throw it away," said Levi Strauss brand president James Curleigh. "Where is 'away?'"

Levi's isn't alone when it comes to green fashions. Puma just announced a new line of shoes and shirts that can be ripped apart for fertilizer. And Italian designer Gucci is offering sunglasses made from biodegradable plastic.

But consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow said the sustainability trend is good for more than just the planet … it's good for the brand.

"It elevates the perception of the brand," said Yarrow. "So it's both technological, it's innovative and these are the brand characteristics that really sell today."

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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