Levi Strauss, M&S Launch Shared Supplier Clean-Energy Program

Levi Strauss & Co. and Marks & Spencer launched a joint program on September 22 to help apparel suppliers switch to renewable electricity. The Fashion Renewable Collaborative will provide guidance and practical support, with Schneider Electric’s SE Advisory Services as its implementation partner.

The initiative targets a challenge brands face across supply chains: manufacturers often receive overlapping requests from customers, while renewable power options and costs vary by market. The companies say a shared approach could reduce duplicated demands and help suppliers navigate those choices.

Support will include digital education, market guidance and help assessing options such as long-term power purchase agreements, energy certificates, on-site solar and battery storage. Suppliers will use Schneider Electric’s Resource Advisor+ platform for onboarding, readiness assessments and progress tracking.

The companies are inviting other fashion brands to join as sponsors or members. They did not announce a new program’s supplier count, funding commitment or renewable-energy procurement target, leaving its initial reach and scale unclear.

The effort builds on supplier programs already run by Levi’s and M&S. Those programs together registered nearly 500 facilities, according to the launch announcement; that figure does not show how many facilities ultimately bought renewable power or reduced emissions.

The stakes are significant because textile processing, including mills and dye houses, accounts for more than half of apparel-industry emissions, according to the Apparel Impact Institute. The announcement cites research from the World Resources Institute and the institute that puts renewable electricity at roughly two-thirds of the sector’s identified emissions-reduction potential.

For M&S, the collaboration extends its Re:Spark supplier program, launched in 2025 with Schneider Electric. M&S has said its Plan A strategy aims for net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2040.

Levi Strauss has said its supply chain accounts for more than 99% of its climate footprint and set a goal to cut supply-chain emissions 42% by 2030. The collaborative’s progress will depend on whether suppliers move from training and assessments to securing renewable electricity.