At Levi’s, a brand that talks about trying to be as sustainable and humane to workers as possible, the ugly reality of what it takes to make jean—especially when you are selling $4.6 billion worth of them a year—isn’t something that is brushed under the table. That’s why Levi’s has spent years working on a new laser technology that can create ripped and washed jeans easier and more efficient, reducing the need for chemicals and other energy-intensive processes. The jean-giant is currently scaling the technology and hopes to implement it throughout the entire company soon.