Why Levi's Cares About Gun Control and Voting

Chip Bergh doesn’t know what the future holds, but he's certain it includes people wearing jeans. The CEO of Levi Strauss & Co says even when much of the world was on lockdown in April, 50 percent of us were still wearing jeans. That’s not to say this has been an easy time for the company. It’s lost a lot of money, and been forced to lay off hundreds of employees. But online sales are growing fast and Bergh tells Leadership Next that by closely tracking what consumers want, Levi’s will emerge intact from the coronavirus pandemic.   

For Bergh, responding to consumers means more than just selling them denim. It also means using Levi’s corporate muscle to support issues consumers - and employees - care about. Gun control is a key example.  He explains how the company entered the debate around guns, and why it has continued to push for more restrictions on who can own them. 

In this episode Bergh also tells Alan Murray and Ellen McGirt about the ‘Time to Vote’ initiative, urging companies to give employees paid time off to vote.  Additionally, the Levi Strauss Foundation is giving over a million dollars to organizations to promote get-out-the-vote efforts. Ellen catches up with the founder of one of these groups – Aimee Allison from She the People.