Ventura clothier Patagonia trims its footprint
[2008-5-19]
Tag: Polyester Spun
Green and transparent: two qualities shared by outdoor clothing company Patagonia and the recycled pop bottles it famously transforms into stylish polyester sport togs.
The Ventura-based clothier has long shared its efforts to tread lightly on the environment. A surge of public interest in green business practices recently inspired the company to become even more transparent.
The Footprint Chronicles is an online examination of the social and environmental impact of individual garments, with new items added each quarter.
“[W]e hope to show our customers, retail partners, and contract factories that we are serious about revealing everything there is to know about our supply chain,” including its impact on the health and welfare of workers and on the planet, Patagonia President and Chief Executive Officer Casey Sheahan wrote in an e-mail to the Business Times.
The research process revealed new information to company leaders as well: for instance, transportation accounts for just 1 percent of the environmental impact of a given product.
Unlike the financial-style reports favored by some companies, the Footprint Chronicles is more of a dialogue. It allows for instant feedback and invites environmental and social footprint reduction ideas from its consumers, “many of whom are scientists, sociologists [and] environmentalists,” Sheahan said.
Whether they examine the data minutely or trust Patagonia to do the right thing, customers are more concerned with environmental responsibility than ever before.
It has moved from about No. 10 on the list of why they buy Patagonia products up to No. 5 or 6, said Environmental Analysis Director Jill Dumain. In her mind, that’s where it should be; any higher, and product performance is being overlooked.
A material difference
Patagonia’s products are aimed at active men, women and children, offering qualities like flexibility, breathability and comfort on the mountain or in the water.
Materials include organic cotton and wool, wetsuit material derived from limestone rather than petroleum and, since 1993, polyester spun out of recycled plastics.
In 2005, the company went beyond turning pop bottles into pullovers, introducing the Common Threads program to recycle the clothes themselves.
Worn-out garments are shipped to a partner in Japan, where the fabric is pelleted, purified, polymerized, melted and spun into new fiber. It hits the market again 18 months later as a brand new Synchilla fleece, wicking base layer or Watermaster waders.
“We thought this would be a great way we could take responsibility for the products at the ends of their lives,” Dumain said.
Old cotton garments are recycled by an Italian partner. Nylon is the next challenge; for now, you can’t recycle your Patagonia underwear.
Although incentives were discussed, the company is promoting the practice as simply the right thing to do. Recycled material cuts oil-based polyester requirements by 50 to 100 percent per garment, reducing CO2 emissions by 71 percent and energy use by 76 percent, according to www.patagonia.com.
Big picture
In addition to sustainable products and clean living at the office – recycling, composting and urging the staff to hit the waves when the surf is good – the company supports many outside programs.
Setting aside 1 percent of sales for causes such as habitat, wilderness and biodiversity preservation, it has donated some $31 million to grassroots organizations overlooked by other corporate donors.
One project is helping to rehabilitate its namesake, the Patagonia region of Chile and Argentina.
Conservacion Patagonica, founded by a former Patagonia CEO, is removing all traces of domestication on 173,000 acres of steppe, forest and wetlands. Eventually, it will connect two Chilean National Reserves to form a 650,000 acre national park.
In November, Sheahan joins the ranks of the 50-plus Patagonia employees who have lent a hand. Taking a break from the usual office routine, the CEO will help remove wire livestock fencing that interferes with the migration of guanaco and endangered huemel deer.
“It will be nice to roll up the sleeves, put on some gloves, and test the durability of our work clothes,” he said.
Protecting the future
As natural resources are consumed at an unprecedented rate, Sheahan believes this sort of corporate responsibility will become less optional– at least for companies that plan to stay in business for another 100 years, as Patagonia does.
“There’s a reason why companies such as Wal-Mart … are looking to the example of Patagonia in the way we build and package our product and think about our daily business,” he said. He already sees a move toward greater honesty and integrity in corporate governance across the public and private sectors, prompting leaders to consider their company’s impact on the earth and on employees worldwide.
For companies just starting their green efforts, sweeping changes can be overwhelming and discouraging. Dumain recommends starting with a few short-term goals, giving employees the motivation and momentum for more meaningful, long term changes.
And being green doesn’t have to push a company into the red. “It usually costs a little more in the short run but not in the long run,” Dumain said.
The Internet offers good information on topics such as recycling or sustainable travel, she said. Nonprofit organizations offer unbiased expertise as partners on more complex projects.
Every step forward by one progressive company makes it easier for everyone else, she added.
“It makes it easier … for employees to go to their managers and say ‘Look, so-and-so did it, and they’re doing fine.’”
Green and transparent: two qualities shared by outdoor clothing company Patagonia and the recycled pop bottles it famously transforms into stylish polyester sport togs.
The Ventura-based clothier has long shared its efforts to tread lightly on the environment. A surge of public interest in green business practices recently inspired the company to become even more transparent.
The Footprint Chronicles is an online examination of the social and environmental impact of individual garments, with new items added each quarter.
“[W]e hope to show our customers, retail partners, and contract factories that we are serious about revealing everything there is to know about our supply chain,” including its impact on the health and welfare of workers and on the planet, Patagonia President and Chief Executive Officer Casey Sheahan wrote in an e-mail to the Business Times.
The research process revealed new information to company leaders as well: for instance, transportation accounts for just 1 percent of the environmental impact of a given product.
Unlike the financial-style reports favored by some companies, the Footprint Chronicles is more of a dialogue. It allows for instant feedback and invites environmental and social footprint reduction ideas from its consumers, “many of whom are scientists, sociologists [and] environmentalists,” Sheahan said.
Whether they examine the data minutely or trust Patagonia to do the right thing, customers are more concerned with environmental responsibility than ever before.
It has moved from about No. 10 on the list of why they buy Patagonia products up to No. 5 or 6, said Environmental Analysis Director Jill Dumain. In her mind, that’s where it should be; any higher, and product performance is being overlooked.
A material difference
Patagonia’s products are aimed at active men, women and children, offering qualities like flexibility, breathability and comfort on the mountain or in the water.
Materials include organic cotton and wool, wetsuit material derived from limestone rather than petroleum and, since 1993, polyester spun out of recycled plastics.
In 2005, the company went beyond turning pop bottles into pullovers, introducing the Common Threads program to recycle the clothes themselves.
Worn-out garments are shipped to a partner in Japan, where the fabric is pelleted, purified, polymerized, melted and spun into new fiber. It hits the market again 18 months later as a brand new Synchilla fleece, wicking base layer or Watermaster waders.
“We thought this would be a great way we could take responsibility for the products at the ends of their lives,” Dumain said.
Old cotton garments are recycled by an Italian partner. Nylon is the next challenge; for now, you can’t recycle your Patagonia underwear.
Although incentives were discussed, the company is promoting the practice as simply the right thing to do. Recycled material cuts oil-based polyester requirements by 50 to 100 percent per garment, reducing CO2 emissions by 71 percent and energy use by 76 percent, according to www.patagonia.com.
Big picture
In addition to sustainable products and clean living at the office – recycling, composting and urging the staff to hit the waves when the surf is good – the company supports many outside programs.
Setting aside 1 percent of sales for causes such as habitat, wilderness and biodiversity preservation, it has donated some $31 million to grassroots organizations overlooked by other corporate donors.
One project is helping to rehabilitate its namesake, the Patagonia region of Chile and Argentina.
Conservacion Patagonica, founded by a former Patagonia CEO, is removing all traces of domestication on 173,000 acres of steppe, forest and wetlands. Eventually, it will connect two Chilean National Reserves to form a 650,000 acre national park.
In November, Sheahan joins the ranks of the 50-plus Patagonia employees who have lent a hand. Taking a break from the usual office routine, the CEO will help remove wire livestock fencing that interferes with the migration of guanaco and endangered huemel deer.
“It will be nice to roll up the sleeves, put on some gloves, and test the durability of our work clothes,” he said.
Protecting the future
As natural resources are consumed at an unprecedented rate, Sheahan believes this sort of corporate responsibility will become less optional– at least for companies that plan to stay in business for another 100 years, as Patagonia does.
“There’s a reason why companies such as Wal-Mart … are looking to the example of Patagonia in the way we build and package our product and think about our daily business,” he said. He already sees a move toward greater honesty and integrity in corporate governance across the public and private sectors, prompting leaders to consider their company’s impact on the earth and on employees worldwide.
For companies just starting their green efforts, sweeping changes can be overwhelming and discouraging. Dumain recommends starting with a few short-term goals, giving employees the motivation and momentum for more meaningful, long term changes.
And being green doesn’t have to push a company into the red. “It usually costs a little more in the short run but not in the long run,” Dumain said.
The Internet offers good information on topics such as recycling or sustainable travel, she said. Nonprofit organizations offer unbiased expertise as partners on more complex projects.
Every step forward by one progressive company makes it easier for everyone else, she added.
“It makes it easier … for employees to go to their managers and say ‘Look, so-and-so did it, and they’re doing fine.’”
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