Facebook and QR codes make an impact on the planet and the Levi's Brand.

For some time now, the Levi's® brand has been raising awareness about vital water issues. Now, in partnership with Water.org the company seeks to bring clean drinking water to people around the world. In January, Levi's® Water<Less™ jeans hit the shelves; a collection of denim made by using less water during the finishing process which have already saved millions of liters of water. Now, Levi's has launched an interactive "WaterTank" game on Facebook incorporating in-store QR codes. The game is intended to inspire consumers to participate in online water-saving challenges.  Each challenge completed will 'unlock' water from the Levi's® WaterTank and ultimately support Water.org's life-saving clean water projects worldwide. Through this initiative, the Levi's® brand will donate $250,000 to Water.org to fund sustainable water programs that will provide at least 200 million liters of water to communities in need of reliable access to this most basic necessity.

Water.org is a non-profit co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White. The organization ha pioneered the delivery of sustainable water and sanitation solutions to communities in need around the world.  Today, one in eight people lack access to safe water and 2.5 billion don't have a toilet. Shockingly, four million people die each year from preventable, waterborne diseases.  Water.org has worked for more than twenty years with local partner organizations to deliver community-led, sustainable water and sanitation services to those living in poverty and struggling to survive the global water crisis.

Participants in the Levi's® WaterTank game will help spread the word about the water crisis while supporting Water.org's global clean water projects. Many people don't realize the significant impact of their own water usage. Recent Levi Strauss & Co. research shows that one of the biggest water impacts of a product during its lifetime actually comes from how consumers care for their jeans. So, the Levi's® brand is challenging consumers to re-examine their water use and make meaningful changes in how they use this precious resource.

"We're proud of the innovations we've made in using less water to create our iconic products," said Robert Hanson, President, Global Levi's® brand. "But we know that some of the biggest impacts on the environment actually comes after our consumers take our products home. We need everyone's help to reduce our global water footprint – and deliver this excess water to those communities that need it most."

Participants can take a variety of actions online to unlock water from the Levi's® WaterTank:

• Scan a QR code in any Levi's® Store in the United States

• Pledge to wash your jeans less, take shorter showers and adopt better laundry habits

• Tweet something that contains the waterless hashtag (#waterless)

• Like the Levi's® brand on Facebook

• Check-in to any Levi's® Store in the United States

• Challenge friends to play the WaterTank game

• Answer water related trivia questions online

• Donate money to Water.org

• Watch a Levi's® and Water.org video online

Participant in the game will be entered to win prizes,  including of course, Levi's Water<Less™ jeans.  One grand-prize winner and a friend will visit a community receiving access to clean water from Water.org and experience firsthand the impact that their QR code scans and Facebook interaction have had on the community members receiving the clean water.

"We're thrilled to partner with the Levi's® brand, an organization with a long-standing commitment to the water issue, to bring clean water to those in need," said Water.org Executive Director and Co-Founder Gary White. "While the global water crisis is a huge issue, it's also a solvable one. At Water.org, we've found social media to be the best, most effective way to engage more people and inspire action. The Levi's® WaterTank game is a great way everyone can take concrete action to make a real difference."

Levi's® Water<less™ and the WaterTank game are genius ways to build the brand by focusing on the company's commitment to educate consumers. Small changes in laundry habits can have a big impact on the planet, and one cause can have a big impact on brand perception. Using Facebook and QR codes furthers positive brand reinforcement by encouraging interaction and building loyalty.

If you liked this article, also try:

The Point of Sale News, an online magazine dedicated to the retail industry.

Subscribe to The BarCodeNews Enewsletter 

   Follow @thebarcodenews on Twitter

Hong Kong to Home Depot, The Power of the Barcode