Patagonia's sustainability

We expect the brands we choose in our collection to meet our sustainability criteria. Our criteria consist of actions that take the environment, social conditions and climate into consideration. Here’s how Patagonia meets our criteria:

Environment:

Brand uses environmentally preferred raw materials for more than 70% of its volume.

• Yes, Patagonia uses environmentally preferred raw materials for more than 70% of its volume. For example, 87% of this season's fabrics are made with preferred materials. Patagonia also uses 100% Traceable Down and all (100%) the virgin cotton they use is grown organically. Patagonia also uses materials like Regenerative Organic Certified Cotton, NetPlus Recycled Fishing Nets, Recycled Spandex, Recycled Cotton and many more. Read more about Patagonias materialshere.On the same page you will also find more information on Patagonia's Environmental Responsibility Programs.

Brand has eliminated at least three suspect chemical group, such as Phthalates or Perfluorinated Chemicals from its entire production

• Patagonia doesn’t use Phthalates in their production, but with Perfluorinated Chemicals they still do at the moment. However, Patagonia's goal is to be free of perfluorinated chemicals by 2025.

Brand reports what percentage of its consumer packaging materials are renewable or made from recycled materials, and the brand implements concrete policies which have reduced the environmental impact of their packaging materials

• Yes, Patagonia uses 100% recycled poly bags in their consumer packaging.

Brand encourages the longevity of products by offering a lifetime guarantee, repair services or supporting the return or re-use of garments

• Patagonia encourages the longevity of its products through care and repair instructions. Patagonia also has a repair service where it is possible to have Patagonia products repaired, and thereby extend the life of the product. Patagonia also has an Ironclad Guarantee that guarantees everything they make.

Brand supports environmental NGOs or other organizations to promote environmental sustainability

• Patagonia supports environmental organizations with bold, direct-action agendas and a commitment to long-term change.Patagonia’s self-imposed Earth tax, 1% for the Planet, provides support to environmental nonprofits working to defend our air, land and water around the globe. There are currently more than 1,400 Patagonia’s Environmental grantees and you can find more information about themhere.

Patagonia doesn’t report on the implementation of its environmental policy related to the ‘wet processes’ within the production cycle, like bleaching and dyeing of raw materials.

Social conditions:

Fair social conditions are audited by third parties (For operations outside EU)

• Patagonia is a founding and accredited member of the Fair Labor Association® (FLA). The FLA is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization established to hold apparel companies accountable for responsible labor practices. As part of our membership, FLA randomly audits a sample of our supply chain to assess the quality of our factory inspection program and help members identify opportunities for improvement. FLA audit results are publicly available on the FLA website.

Origin of the materials, design and the manufacturing is shared openly

• Patagonia is open and transparent about all its processes, from materials to design and manufacturing. You can find material-specific manufacturing informationhere and read about designhere.

Brand is following buying practices that enable living wages and good labour conditions, such as long-term relations with factories, and concentrating production at a limited number of factories

• Through Patagonias partnership with Fair Trade USA, Patagonia has been making Fair Trade clothing since 2014. Patagonia pays a premium for every Patagonia item that carries the Fair Trade Certified™ sewn label. That extra money goes directly to the workers at the factory, and they decide how to spend it. Workers have chosen to use the premiums to fund community projects, like health-care programs or a child-care center, to purchase products they could not otherwise afford, like a laptop computer or a stove; or to take a cash bonus. The program also promotes worker health and safety as well as social and environmental compliance, and encourages dialogue between workers and management. Patagonia will continue to work to find a permanent solution to ensure all workers who make our clothing earn a living wage. Patagonia also has aSupplier Workplace Code of Conduct which is based on International Labour Organization (ILO) core labor standards and requires compliance with all laws in each of the countries in which their factories operate.

Open list of direct suppliers that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume

• Patagonia's website has openly published the exact details of all their factories, farms and mills. You can find more information about the manufacturershere.

Brand supports social NGO's or other organizations to promote social sustainability

• More information coming soon

More than 50% of Patagonia's product volume is not produced in low-risk countries. A large part of Patagonia's products are made in China and Vietnam. The exact locations of the manufacturers can be found on the Patagonia websitehere. Patagonia holds its suppliers (and itself) to the highest environmental and social standards in the industry. To manage the process, they rely on industry tools and standards, and when sufficiently stringent standards do not exist, they create them themselves.

So over the years, they have developed a number of programmes to study the impacts across our business, from farm to store. 87% of their line is Fair Trade certified sewn and over 64,000 workers are supported by Patagonia's participation in the Fair Trade program.

Climate:

Has the brand disclosed the annual absolute climate footprint of its 'own operations', and has it accomplished an overall absolute climate footprint reduction compared to the result of the previous reporting year?

• Yes, Patagonia is Bcorp certified with a score of 151.4 and they have disclosed their annual climate footprint since 2013. You can find all the reportshere. Around 95% of Patagonia's carbon emissions come from the supply chain, which includes everything from the crops needed to make yarn to transporting finished garments to warehouses, stores and our customers' doors. Patagonia's goal is to become fully carbon neutral for the entire business and supply chain by 2025.

Is at least 50% of the electricity used by the brand generated from renewable resources, such as wind or solar energy?

• Patagonia North America is running on 100% renewable energy and most of their facilities (stores, showrooms, offices) are supplied with renewable energy and community energy. Since January 2022, the energy consumed by the Manchester showroom and the Manchester and Bristol Patagonia stores is supplied by 1% for the Planet grantee and community-owned renewable energy project Energy Garden. This is just the beginning for Patagonia as they also aim to improve the energy efficiency of their partners.

Patagonia's history, values and sustainability

Patagonia is one of the world's leading environmentally friendly clothing brands. Patagonia was founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973 who was a passionate climber. The Patagonia journey started with Yvon's Steel Pitons used for climbing and the clothing sales started with Corduroy shorts and Rugby shirts. Patagonia has expanded its product line to include apparel targeted towards other sports, such as surfing. 

Patagonia's work is guided by four key values:

Build the best product - Patagonia wants to create the best products in terms of function, repairability and durability. The goal is a product that lasts from generation to generation and that puts as little strain on our environment as possible. Making the best product matters for saving the planet.

Cause no unnecessary harm- Patagonia is aware of the problems in the textile industry and they are working steadily to change industry practices and share what they have learned. They are also looking not only for ways to do as little harm as possible, but also for ways to do more good.

Use business to protect nature - Nature has always been important to Patagonia and they want to make their products with this in mind. When they identify a problem, they act. Patagonia is also not afraid of the risks that must be taken to protect nature. 

Not bound by convection - Patagonia's success and the fun of work is always based on evolving and trying new things.

From the beginning, Patagonia has always wanted to do everything differently from other textile companies and they have pledged 1% of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. Patagonia also guarantees everything it does and strives in everything it does to take into account its impact on the environment and the people behind their products. Patagonia is guided in everything by their motto:

"We're in business to save our home planet."

Patagonia, it’s factories or fabrics have also met the criteria for these certifications:

• Fair Trade Certified
• Fair Labor Association
• Regenerative Organic Certified