Patagonia Women's Hampi Rock Pants

Hemp is an alternative natural fiber that’s cultivated with low impact on the environment. It requires no irrigation, uses no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, and is harvested and processed by hand. It’s one of the most durable natural fibers on the planet, and results in a fabric with a wonderful drape, comparable to linen.

Unfortunately, industrial hemp is illegal to grow in most parts of the world because government agencies continue to associate it with marijuana. We currently import our high-quality hemp from China, and continue to hope that it might someday grow freely again.

Patagonia makes garments with hemp alone or blended with other fibers like recycled polyester, organic cotton and spandex.

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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.

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