Is Patagonia a Sustainable Fashion Brand? — This Green Lifestyle

As we wrote in an earlier article on the topic, sustainable fashion as a trend is hard to define.

Fortunately, as sustainable fashion becomes more mainstream, further research and increased awareness are helping to define the standards. A recent paper outlined the main tenets of sustainable fashion, including:

“…local sourcing and production, transparency across the supply chain, traceability of work processes and (ideally) raw materials, environmentally friendly raw materials, and social aspects, such as safe working conditions and fair wages.”

Sustainable fashion is also closely linked to the slow fashion movement, with both focusing on a combination of environmental and ethical principles. While it’s not exactly the opposite of fast fashion, sustainable fashion challenges the idea that more is always better and urges fashion companies to ‘hit the brakes’ and review their unsustainable and unethical practices.

The environmental impact of the fashion industry

Did you know that the fashion industry represents nearly 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for 6% of landfill waste each year?

Despite its huge impact on the environment, the fashion industry is largely unregulated. Fortunately, change is in the air. A recent New York Times article reflected on the upcoming ‘wave’ of proposed regulations that would change for the better certain aspects of the fashion industry such as labeling and worker wages.

However, the fashion industry as a whole has a long way to go. Until more regulations are approved and enforced, it’s up to fashion brands themselves to align their business models with sustainable practices.

Patagonia, a family-owned outdoor fashion company, is well-known as the industry leader when it comes to sustainability. Let’s take a closer look at some of their sustainability efforts:

Patagonia as a model for sustainable fashion

In September 2022, Patagonia made headlines for its announcement to donate all of the company’s profits to climate activism. Logistically, the structure is as follows: all of the voting shares, or 2% of all shares, are transferred to a family trust, while all non-voting shares, or 98% of all shares, are transferred to another fund, the Holdfast Collective.

The Holdfast Collective is set up as a non-profit focused on supporting climate activism through philanthropy. Unlike 1% For the Planet, which was founded by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and Craig Mathews and primarily supports grassroots environmental organizations through grants up to $15,000, the Holdfast Collective will be able to provide larger grants and donations.

In addition to its climate philanthropy and activism, Patagonia is constantly evolving in its environmental stewardship. While it no longer uses the term “sustainable” to describe itself – which you can read more about here – it’s still considered a leading example of sustainability in the fashion industry.

Here’s what Patagonia is doing to cut emissions and improve worker conditions:

Material sourcing

According to the company’s website, 94% of Patagonia products are made of recycled materials made from pre- and post-consumer waste. This reduces the amount of textiles ending up in the landfill, and also reduces the environmental toll of extracting virgin materials from the earth. While recycled fabrics still require significant resources to produce, the toll on land, water, and air is ultimately significantly less.

While Patagonia aims for 100% renewable and recycled materials in its products, it’s not there yet. That said, it’s been sourcing certified organic cotton since 1996, and the down used in puffy jackets and sleeping bags is either recycled or Advanced GTDS Certified (ensuring more humane sourcing).

Transparency

Patagonia exemplifies transparency, regularly publicizing statistics related to their production that have the potential to reflect poorly on the business. Transparency – being honest about what’s going on behind the scenes, from sourcing to production and beyond – is incredibly important for any business striving for sustainability.

By being transparent, a company can communicate to its consumers how it’s supporting the planet, people, and animals involved in the production of its products. Moreover, transparency is key to avoiding greenwashing, a phenomenon where companies misuse unregulated terms such as “eco,” “green,” and “sustainable.”