Patagonia Men's Long-Sleeved Recycled Wool Shirt

One of the ways we can lessen the impact of wool production is to recycle used wool.

The practice of recycling wool dates back hundreds of years. After wool sweaters had been worn threadbare, they were collected and shredded into individual fibers and then converted into blankets.

Patagonia’s recycled wool comes from this same process. Aided by modern-day quality controls, the wool goes through a meticulous sorting of materials into color categories prior to shredding. By selecting and blending colors of dyed wool fabrics and garments, we can completely eliminate the dyeing process, saving water and chemicals and eliminating the resulting wastewater.

Learn more

In 1993, we adopted fleece into our product line made from post consumer recycled (PCR) plastic soda bottles. We were the first outdoor clothing manufacturer to do so. PCR® clothing was a positive step towards a more sustainable system – one that uses fewer resources, discards less and better protects people’s health.

Today, we’re able to utilize more sources for recycled polyester and offer it on more garments such as Capilene® baselayers, shell jackets, board shorts, and fleece. We now recycle used soda bottles, unusable manufacturing waste, and worn out garments (including our own) into polyester fibers to produce many of our clothes.

Using recycled polyester lessens our dependence on petroleum as a raw material source, curbs discards and reduces toxic emissions from incinerators.

Learn more