Patagonia: Sustainability Spotlight
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Patagonia: Earth as Shareholder
Patagonia challenges the notion that doing business is inherently in contention with conservation. The Ventura, California-based company has led the charge in everything from eliminating PFAS in its products to transitioning toward 100% recycled materials. Further, it has changed the way we think about resale and reuse of outdoor gear through its flagship Worn Wear program. While most sustainability-minded companies are working to limit the impacts of their production, Patagonia is going the next mile to improve supply chain circularity. A true leader and innovator, Patagonia is paving the way forward for other companies to take a hard look at their cradle-to-grave environmental impacts.
Product-Level Analysis
Since 2000, Patagonia has partnered with Bluesign, an industry certification system that tracks and approves textiles and other materials based on environmental impact and safety to workers and consumers. Patagonia was the first brand to adopt Bluesign certification, becoming a Bluesign system partner in 2007. In the average season, 9 out of Patagonia’s top 10 material suppliers are Bluesign system partners, meaning that these suppliers have undergone certification based on Bluesign’s criteria. Find Bluesign-certified products at Patagonia by checking the “Materials” dropdown on each product page and looking for “Bluesign approved.” To dive deeper on this topic, see our article on Bluesign Certified Textiles Explained.
Patagonia’s product line leads in the use of recycled materials compared to other brands. As of fall 2024, Patagonia uses 97% recycled polyester by weight—which is especially significant given that polyester is the most used fiber in Patagonia’s apparel line. Patagonia typically sources materials from recycled fabric mills certified by the Textile Exchange’s Recycled Claim Standard or Global Recycled Standard, and it’s working towards having entirely certified mills by 2025. Patagonia also partners with OceanCycle, a certification program that recycles plastic bottles from coastlines struggling with plastic pollution, and Jeplan, a chemical recycling program that recycles more difficult materials like pigmented plastics. While several of Patagonia’s products are made with 100% recycled polyester, its R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody is an excellent example of the company’s commitment to making high-quality technical gear without sacrificing environmental sustainability. This lightweight, technical fleece is made with 100% recycled polyester and Bluesign-approved materials.
Patagonia is also leading the outdoor industry in nylon recycling; in fall 2024, Patagonia used 91% recycled nylon by weight in its nylon-based products. In addition to traditional recycled nylon, Patagonia has turned over 1,400 metric tons of discarded fishing nets into clothing through its partnership with Bureo, an organization that works with South American fisheries to collect nets and turn them into a 100% recycled nylon material called NetPlus. Patagonia invested in Bureo through its venture capital fund, Tin Shed Ventures, and has been working with the company to develop ways to incorporate NetPlus into hat brims and fabrics. Recycling these fishing nets requires less energy consumption in comparison to virgin nylon and also removes abandoned fishing nets from the ocean, where they would otherwise entrap or be eaten by marine wildlife. Patagonia’s 3-layer Granite Crest Rain Jacket (reviewed here) is an impressive example of NetPlus materials integrated into waterproof, technical apparel. The jacket is made with 100% post-consumer NetPlus nylon ripstop material, derived from recycled fishing nets. Another crowd favorite made with 100% NetPlus nylon is Patagonia’s classic Baggies Shorts.
While most companies only recycle polyester and nylon, Patagonia has gone above and beyond to experiment with recycling a variety of natural and synthetic fibers into its products. Patagonia uses recycled natural fibers, including cotton, down, wool, and cashmere, across a variety of products. In fall 2023, Patagonia used 89% recycled wool by weight, reducing carbon emissions and reliance on virgin materials. Patagonia’s Recycled Wool Blend Sweater Hoody is made with 70% recycled wool and 26% recycled nylon. Other pieces made with recycled natural fibers include the Recycled Cashmere Top and Recycled Cashmere Crewneck Sweater, each made with 95% recycled cashmere and 5% recycled wool. In addition to natural fibers, Patagonia recycles less-commonly recycled synthetic materials like spandex in its products. For example, the Happy Hike Studio Pants and Pack Out Hike Tights are made with 11% recycled spandex and 13% recycled spandex, respectively.
Patagonia is a founding member of the Fair Labor Association, an organization which ensures that the people involved in producing goods are compensated adequately and work under decent and safe conditions. The company began making Fair Trade Certified products in 2014 and now offers more Fair Trade Certified products than any other apparel brand. As of Fall 2024, 90% of Patagonia’s products are made in Fair Trade Certified factories, affecting 75,000 workers. To find Patagonia products that are Fair-Trade Certified, check the “Materials” section on individual product pages. For more on the topic, see our article on Fair Trade Certified Explained.
Patagonia uses a massive quantity of Textile Exchange-certified and responsibly sourced materials in its products. All of Patagonia’s wool and down products are produced under Responsible Wool and Responsible Down Standards, which are set and enforced by Textile Exchange to provide a global benchmark for humane animal treatment, traceability, and environmental impact of animal products. While many companies settle for using only responsible materials, Patagonia combines these responsibly sourced materials with recycled ones. Patagonia’s Down Sweater Hoody, for example, is made with 800 fill power, 100% Responsible Down Standard down, and a 100% NetPlus post-consumer recycled nylon shell (check out our in-depth review of the Down Sweater here). Several merino wool products at Patagonia use similar blends of responsible and recycled materials; for example, the Merino ¾ Sleeved Bike Jersey is made with 65% Responsible Wool Standard wool and 35% recycled polyester.
The company has also led the charge on responsible cotton. Cotton is a chemical-heavy crop, conventionally grown using an array of artificial pesticides, fertilizers, and defoliants. These chemicals used to kill leaves make for easier harvesting and higher crop yields but create environmentally harmful pollution. In virgin cotton products, Patagonia only uses certified organic cotton or transitional organic cotton from farms currently undergoing organic certification. Patagonia also makes clothing with Regenerative Organic Certified cotton; in addition to being free from artificial chemicals, this cotton is grown using regenerative farming practices that improve soil health, use less water, and maintain local biodiversity. The Daily Hoody Sweatshirt, for example, is made with 100% Regenerative Organic Certified French Terry fabric. Filter by “Organic Cotton” and “Regenerative Organic Cotton” to find Patagonia products made with these fabrics.
Finally, to produce more sustainable wetsuits, Patagonia has transitioned away from petroleum-based neoprene and limestone-based “geoprene,” both of which require massive energy inputs for production. Patagonia invested in the development of Yulex, a natural rubber substitute, to reduce the impact of its wetsuits. Patagonia released its first Yulex wetsuit in 2013 and now uses the material in all of the wetsuits the company produces. Impressively, Patagonia didn’t keep the Yulex tech proprietary and instead actively sought to expand its use throughout the industry. The Yulex Regulator Front-Zip Full Wetsuit is an example of this new material technology made with 85% Forest Stewardship Council-certified Yulex natural rubber and a recycled nylon lining.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have historically been integral to many durable water-repellent (DWR) coatings and waterproof membranes. They’re also “forever chemicals” that can accumulate in the environment and human bodies, disrupting the health of people and ecosystems. Patagonia is shifting away from PFAS, aiming for 100% PFAS-free products—excluding waders—by 2025. As of fall 2024, 99% of Patagonia’s products are made without intentionally added PFAS. Because so many of its products are now PFAS-free, avoiding these chemicals when purchasing gear from Patagonia is simple. This transition aligns with an increasing number of certification standard restrictions and regulatory bans, so we can expect similar changes across the outdoor industry within the next few years. Bluesign is removing its certification of any PFAS-containing products by January 2025, and recent legislation in the E.U. and several states, including California and New York, explicitly bans the use of PFAS in apparel, although some of these bans do not immediately take full effect until 2027 or later.
Brand-Level Analysis
Patagonia encourages its customers to buy fewer products and use what they have for longer. Patagonia’s Ironclad Guarantee assures customers that Patagonia will repair their gear throughout a product’s lifetime, reinforcing that Patagonia products are intended to be used for a long product life. For small holes in apparel, Patagonia will send customers Tenacious Tape patch kits to do their own patching. When gear requires simple but more extensive repair than a patch, customers can bring their gear to a Patagonia store, and staff can perform minor fixes. For major repairs, gear can be sent to a Patagonia repair center to be fixed. In partnership with iFixit, Patagonia has developed a wealth of repair guides on its website with instructions for do-it-yourself fixes. These include quick in-the-field fixes (e.g., sewing a torn tent), more permanent home repairs (replacing a zipper slider), and general care (washing a rain jacket).
Worn Wear is Patagonia’s resale program, where you can trade in or buy pre-owned Patagonia clothing and gear for a discount. In exchange for sending in your functional Patagonia products, the company provides credit for Patagonia products. The program was launched in 2012 as an online resale shop and a physical Chicago storefront. Worn Wear items are backed by Patagonia’s Ironclad Guarantee and are assured to be clean and functional. When items are beyond repair, Patagonia accepts products for recycling at service centers or Patagonia stores. Note that many of these items may end up in storage until better methods for handling difficult-to-recycle materials like mixed fabrics and already-recycled fibers exist. Patagonia does not provide compensation for sending in gear to be recycled but does assure customers that their gear won’t go to the landfill.
Patagonia uses recycled content or post-consumer waste in all of its shipping and packaging materials. For extra assurance, the recycled materials in its packaging are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Product tags are made with recycled kraft paper, and tag strings are 100% recycled cotton. Shipping boxes are also 100% recycled cardboard, and all of Patagonia’s paper and cardboard packaging is fully recyclable. After pushback from customers about its use of polybags—the flimsy, plastic bags that protect products during transport—Patagonia experimented with eliminating or reducing its use during transport and delivery but determined that they were necessary to protect products. Patagonia continues to use polybags, although they are now made from 100% recycled plastic. The polybags are recyclable, but only at certain locations—many grocery stores offer plastic bag recycling. Finally, Patagonia has reduced its packaging by avoiding unnecessary labeling of products.
Patagonia co-founded the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, now known as Cascale, which developed the Higg Index suite of tools to help textile and apparel companies assess their environmental and social impacts. Patagonia uses the Higg Index tools as part of its Supply Chain Environmental Responsibility Program to evaluate and improve the sustainability of its suppliers and partners. Additionally, Patagonia has set greenhouse gas reduction goals aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)—a global organization which developed standards aligned with Paris Agreement thresholds for companies to reduce emissions. Patagonia’s short-term goals include reducing emissions from energy consumption within its owned operations by 80% and from upstream and downstream sources (e.g., purchased materials, product distribution) by 55% by 2030, in comparison to 2017 emissions. Zooming out, Patagonia has committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, with a 90% reduction in absolute emissions, offsetting the remaining 10% with carbon credits. Patagonia’s net-zero target is ten years earlier than the SBTi standard and the commitments of most other companies.
In 2011, Patagonia became a B Corp, certified by the nonprofit B Lab. In 2012, it also became a Benefit Corporation under California law. B Corp and California Benefit Corporation designations require an explicit benefit to the public in the company mission, as well as stakeholder governance, transparency, and accountability. Patagonia produces an Annual Benefit Report that details the company’s progress towards its public benefit goals and completes B Lab’s biannual impact assessment. Patagonia’s current B Impact score is 166 out of 250+ points; the qualifying score for a B Corp is 80, and the median score of ordinary businesses completing the assessment is 51.
While Patagonia publishes an Annual Impact Report, it differs from a traditional impact report in that all of the information is available on easily-navigable pages on the brand’s website rather than compiled in a single report. The company goes above and beyond to provide consumers with transparency regarding its environmental practices. Patagonia’s direct-to-consumer website extensively outlines its environmental and social responsibility programs, allowing consumers to easily access information through a user-friendly and information-rich website. Patagonia’s website is among the most comprehensive sources on the internet for sustainable materials information, providing articles about each material used in Patagonia products. The site also provides information about Patagonia’s carbon emissions tracking, environmental initiatives, and the wide variety of sustainability certifications the brand uses in sourcing its materials. In addition, Patagonia publishes an annual Benefit Corporation (B Corp) Report, which highlights some of its sustainability efforts and progress. This, combined with its website, provides a thorough report of what Patagonia is doing to lower its environmental impact.
Patagonia began contributing money to grassroots environmental groups within one year of the company's founding. It awarded its first grant in 1973 to protect the Ventura River in California from commercial development, followed by donations to grassroots organizations aiming to protect and restore habitat. Now, environmental activism is baked into the company’s structure. Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, formalized his company’s philanthropy in 2002 by co-founding the nonprofit 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that pledge to donate 1% of annual sales to vetted grassroots environmental groups. In addition to donating money to grassroots groups, Patagonia has also established several of its own environmental organizations. Tin Shed Ventures is Patagonia’s venture capital fund that invests in environmentally and socially responsible start-ups. Patagonia Action Works is a platform for connecting environmental activist groups with one other and the broader community. Most recently, Patagonia created the independent nonprofit Home Planet Fund to fight the climate crisis by partnering with Indigenous communities.
Making one of the more groundbreaking announcements in the outdoor industry, Chouinard announced in 2022 that he was giving it all away. Chouinard transferred Patagonia’s voting stock to a purpose-driven trust and the non-voting stock—98% of the company—to a nonprofit holding company, the Holdfast Collective. Thus, profits which aren't reinvested into the company—totaling around $100 million annually—are now donated to fight climate change and preserve habitat. The Holdfast Collective is designated as a 501(c)4 charity to allow for political activism and lobbying. While it wouldn’t be possible for every outdoor brand to do this, Patagonia is setting the example as the industry leader in sustainability and environmental efforts.
Transparency Rating: Excellent
Overall, Patagonia has earned our top rating—Excellent—for transparency. The company goes above and beyond to publish information about its sustainability programs on its website, and we had no need to contact anyone at Patagonia for more details. Patagonia provides a wealth of publicly accessible, easy-to-understand information about its materials, emissions goals, and supply chain, with ample concrete statistics on its progress. These articles are some of the most extensive materials-specific information about outdoor products on the internet. Patagonia’s product pages include clear materials information for each product, which details Bluesign-approved materials, recycled materials, Fair Trade certifications, and more. While 99% of its fabrics are PFAS-free, it only includes a PFAS-free label on waterproof items without these chemicals. As is typical with Patagonia, the company is leading the way in transparency and serves as an example to other brands as one of the best in this field.
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