Our Industry Has Carbon Issues
The clothing industry accounts for up to 10 percent of global carbon emissions, with the lion’s share happening during production and processing—from the raw materials that are drilled, mined, clear-cut and extracted to the water and energy (often coal) to power the machines that make clothing. Those emissions trap more heat in our atmosphere, impacting our health, destroying ecosystems and generating extreme, dangerous weather.
We’re letting go of virgin materials.
Extracting and processing virgin materials takes a toll on the land, water and air. To do our part, Patagonia has set a goal to only use preferred materials—organic and Regenerative Organic cotton, recycled polyester and recycled nylon, among others—by 2025. By using both synthetic and natural fibers made from pre-consumer and postconsumer waste, we are limiting our dependence on raw materials and reducing carbon emissions.
Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new clothing every year.
The percentage of styles in our Spring 2024 line that use recycled materials.
Our Postconsumer Recycling
Postconsumer refers to any finished product that has been used and then diverted from landfills at the end of its life. This term includes anything you throw in the recycling bin at home or at designated textile-collection bins, as well as used fishing nets, carpet and other consumer goods that can be recycled into textiles.
Our Pre-Consumer Recycling
Also referred to as “postindustrial,” pre-consumer waste—for example, fabric scraps or yarn waste from weaving mills and spinning factories—is created during the manufacturing process. Sometimes, as when recycling postindustrial cotton, the recycled yarn is mixed with other materials, like polyester, to ensure there is no loss in performance.