by Mary Claire Kendall

Created on: September 22, 2009   Last Updated: November 17, 2010

When it comes to corporate social responsibility, Levi Strauss & Co., headquartered in San Francisco, is an unquestioned leader.

It's a spirit that founder Levi Strauss engendered in his company's employees who, for the last 150 years, have tenaciously engaged in the important work of giving back to communities in which the company operates.  A spirit, which the Points of Lights Foundation, and its predecessor Points of Lights Initiative in the Administration of President George H.W. Bush, applauds along with other corporate leaders who embrace their social responsibility in the communities in which they operate.

The example of Levi Straus and company deserves to be touted far and wide.

Being a leader in corporate citizenship, the company says, is just as important as being an apparel innovator: “We opened integrated factories in the American South before it was mandated by the government and pioneered policies to help employees with HIV/AIDS.”

Levi Strauss encourages its workforce to support charities with their time, talent, and money, providing full-time employees up to five hours per month paid time-off to volunteer at a non-profit of their choosing. Additionally, the Levi Strauss Foundation (US) matches employee contributions (current & retired) to qualifying non-profits. The Foundation also makes grants to charitable organizations employees are involved with, either as a volunteer or as a board member.

Worldwide, employees have formed company-sponsored Community Involvement Teams (CITs) that partner with local charitable organizations to identify needs, plan activities, and create volunteer and donation opportunities. CITs on six continents are helping provide innovative solutions to unmet need in the areas of HIV/AIDS, environmental sustainability, breast cancer, the elderly, and homelessness, among many others.

In 2000, the Council on Economic Priorities ranked Levi Strauss first out of 320 companies in its corporate social responsibility survey, assigning the company an "A" rating in the categories of charitable giving, disclosure, family benefits, minority advancement, women's advancement, and workplace issues.

Companies such as Levi Strauss, whose modus operandi since its founding in 1873 is to shoulder its community responsibility, are needed now more than ever especially during this extended recession when government relief can only go so far and a strong community fabric is what really makes the difference in the lives of individuals in need.  This highlights the long-term wisdom of the Administration of George H.W. Bush in encouraging and fostering strong community bonds because they serve as antibodies that build up resistance in time of hardship.

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