Is Patagonia a Sustainable Fashion Brand?
In a world overflowing with the products of fast fashion, it can be hard to be optimistic about mitigating climate change. Fortunately, a number of businesses are looking past short-term profits towards the future of the planet, including the fashion giant Patagonia.
Patagonia is often touted as the industry leader when it comes to sustainability efforts, but how sustainable is the outdoor fashion brand, really? The brand has an impressive history of climate activism and philanthropy. Its business model is also incredibly transparent, and recognizes that it can continue to improve.
We know that shopping for clothing isn’t easy, especially for conscious consumers. That’s why we believe it’s important to take a closer look at the fashion industry and find out what companies are doing to become more sustainable.
Photo by Jay Miller
What is sustainable fashion?
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.”
Used gear & repairs
While it may seem counterintuitive to encourage consumers to consume less, Patagonia has proven that it can do just that and still remain profitable. It does so in two key ways: through used gear and its repair program.
Patagonia will repair many of its items for free, with some limitations. For example, if your favorite puffy jacket has a hole or two, Patagonia will either send you some patches or fix it up for you. They’ll even do more complex repairs, for which you can send in your gear or take it into your nearest store. By performing free repairs, Patagonia allows customers to keep their gear in use longer.
Additionally, Patagonia’s Worn Wear program actively encourages consumers to keep clothing in circulation and reduce overall consumption. You can buy gently used gear for lower prices, which is a win-win for everyone involved.
Worker conditions and fair wages
Over the last decades, awareness has increased in regards to the unsafe and unfair conditions that many textile workers are regularly subjected to. However, awareness alone won’t fix the exploitation of millions of workers around the world.
One way to ensure that the workers involved in clothing production are treated safely and compensated fairly is through Fair Trade certification. While not all of Patagonia’s garments are Fair Trade certified, it’s committed to ensuring all workers involved in production earn a living wage.
In addition to vastly improving the lives of workers, fair wages have been linked to helping combat climate change by increasing worker access to clean energy and more sustainable products.
Business certifications
A business can prove that it ‘puts its money where its mouth is’ by earning certifications from trusted sources. Patagonia, for instance, is certified by the following third-party programs:
Certifications not only help by enforcing standards across an industry, but they also help a business build trust with its customers. A recent survey revealed that two-thirds of US consumers are willing to pay more for products that they know have been sustainably and ethically sourced, so it’s in the best interest of companies to improve their sustainability efforts across the board.
How to be a conscious consumer of fashion
While Patagonia has taken significant steps towards becoming a more sustainable fashion brand, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of work to be done for them and the fashion industry at large.
In the meantime, here are some steps you can take to be a conscious consumer of fashion:
Support sustainable brands.
Consume less.
Buy durable, long-lasting articles of clothing.
Repair/mend clothes whenever possible.
Buy used clothes from second-hand shops or online.
Donate or consign your gently worn clothes.
Recycle old clothes or textiles at a local drop-off. Some brands, including Patagonia, will even accept old clothes and recycle them for you!
What brand of clothing do you think deserves to be labeled as “sustainable?” Let us know below!
