Whirlpool(R) Brand and Levi's(R) Brand Join Forces to Shed Light on Green Denim Care
January 20 2010 - 12:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Survey Shows Consumers Have Hard Habits to Break When It Comes to
Laundry LAS VEGAS, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A recent joint
survey by the Whirlpool® and Levi's® brands uncovered that despite
advances in high efficiency (HE) laundry, the majority of consumers
don't realize the environmental impact of their laundry habits.
With nearly nine out of ten respondents doing two or more loads of
laundry each week, both Whirlpool brand and Levi's are focused on
reducing the environmental impact of the age-old chore. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081218/WHIRLPOOLBRANDLOGO )
The two companies worked with Opinion Research Corporation to
survey consumers about their knowledge of green laundry care. The
survey demonstrated that a number of laundry myths continue to
guide consumer behavior. Myth #1: The water temperature of your
laundry cycle doesn't impact the environment. -- Nearly 50 percent
of consumers who do laundry don't realize that water temperature
has an environmental impact. -- Forty-three percent use warm or hot
water to wash their jeans. -- Among those who wash jeans, the
majority of women use cold water (63%) while the majority of men
use warm (50%). Reality: Washing fabrics in cold water can
dramatically reduce the amount of energy used when doing laundry.
Myth #2: Your washing machine needs to be full of water to clean
your clothes. -- Thirty percent of those who do laundry believe
their washing machine needs to be full of water to clean clothes
completely. Reality: Whirlpool brand's ENERGY STAR® qualified Duet
9750 front-load washer can tackle up to 18 pairs of jeans and
features a low water wash system. The HE washer uses up to 74
percent less water and 80 percent less energy, saving consumers
more than $1,000 in lifetime water and energy costs when compared
to a pre-2004 conventional washer, based on a 10-year life cycle.
That's a lot of Levi's! Myth #3: You need to wash your jeans each
time you wear them. -- Almost 20 percent of those who wash jeans
still wash their denim after each wear. -- Only six percent of
those who wash jeans are washing less to benefit the environment.
Nearly half of consumers who wash jeans delay washing their jeans
because they don't think they are dirty, while 20 percent are
concerned about shrinking or color fading. Reality: Jeans do not
need to be washed after every wearing - and waiting for a full load
can save 3,400 gallons of water annually, according to the
Department of Energy. "This survey clearly showed that consumers
have definite opinions about what is best for their clothing," said
Mary Zeitler, home economist for the Whirlpool Institute of Fabric
Science. "Together with Levi's we are giving them the right tools
and tips to provide the best care for their jeans in the most
efficient manner possible." Whirlpool Corporation offers more HE
and ENERGY STAR® qualified washers than any other manufacturer and
is working across all areas to further the promise of more
eco-friendly laundry. "We all do laundry but we don't all realize
that small changes in our habits can add up to a big difference for
the planet," Robert Hanson, President, Levi Strauss Americas.
"Whirlpool brand and Levi's® are both working hard to create more
sustainable products and spread the word with our consumers about
what they can do to help." Levi Strauss & Co. recently launched
a partnership with Goodwill® to educate consumers that caring for
their clothes can help care for the planet. The company was the
first major retailer to change garment care labels to urge
consumers to wash in cold and donate unwanted clothing to Goodwill®
to keep it out of landfills. Learn more at levi.com/care. Five Fast
Laundry Facts and Tips: 1. Hands off: Forty-one percent of those
surveyed do not allow anyone else to wash their jeans. 2. Lonely
blues: 13 percent of people wash their jeans separately from the
rest of their families' laundry. 3. Tumbling around: 48 percent of
consumers continue to do an average of 4+ loads of laundry each
week. 4. Fight fading: Wash your jeans inside out to prevent
fading. 5. Go ENERGY STAR: An ENERGY STAR qualified washing machine
can save more than 7,000 gallons of water a year, cut energy
consumption by more than 40 percent and save up to $110 per year
compared to conventional washers manufactured before 1994. For more
tips, visit http://www.instituteoffabricscience.org/. About
Whirlpool Brand Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading
manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual
sales of more than $19 billion in 2008, more than 70,000 employees,
and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the
world. Whirlpool brand recognizes that consumers lead busy, active
lives and continues to create solutions that help consumers
optimize productivity and efficiency in the home. In addition to
designing appliance solutions based on consumer insight, Whirlpool
brand is dedicated to creating ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances
like the new Duet® washer which uses 74 percent less water and 80
percent less energy than a traditional top load washer manufactured
before 2004. When used with the washer, the new Duet® Resource
Saver® dryer improves dryer energy usage by 40 percent as compared
to traditional top-load laundry pairs, average size load. Whirlpool
is one of Habitat for Humanity's largest corporate partners,
donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity
home built in North America. For more information on Whirlpool
brand, please visit http://www.whirlpool.com/. Additional
information about the company can be found at
http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/. About Levi Strauss & Co. Levi
Strauss & Co. is one of the world's largest branded apparel
companies and the global leader in jeanswear, marketing its
products in more than 110 countries worldwide. The company designs
and markets jeans, casual wear and related accessories for men,
women and children under the Levi's®, Dockers® and Signature by
Levi Strauss & Co.(TM) brands. Levi Strauss & Co. has been
an early industry leader on sustainability issues. Almost two
decades ago, through the Terms of Engagement (TOE), LS&Co. was
the first company to state that it would only do business with
suppliers who shared its commitment to environment, labor, health
and safety standards. The company followed with industry-leading
water quality standards and a global list of restricted substances.
The company is focused on reducing its corporate environmental
footprint on energy, water, and materials. Levi Strauss & Co.
recently launched "A Care Tag for Our Planet" partnership with
Goodwill®. LS&Co. is the first major retailer to use product
care tags to encourage people to take simple steps to care for the
planet by caring for their clothes, including donating used
garments to keep them out of landfills. Methodology This report
presents the findings of a telephone survey conducted among a
national probability sample of 1,017 adults comprising 509 men and
508 women 18 years of age and older, living in private households
in the continental United States. Interviewing for this CARAVAN®
Survey was completed during the period December 10-13, 2009. The
margin of error for results based on the total sample is plus or
minus three percentage points.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081218/WHIRLPOOLBRANDLOGODATASOURCE:
Whirlpool Corporation CONTACT: Sarah Anderson of Levi Strauss &
Co., +1-415-501-7771, , or Alyson Buck of Peppercom for Whirlpool,
+1-212-931-6122, Web Site: http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/
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