Patagonia have recently extended the scope of their Common Threads recycling program. When we first mentioned it they were just accepting their Capilene underwear. Patagonia's Common Threads Recycling Program. The people over at Patagonia are working to help this problem. They use the recycled materials to make new clothes.

First of all, in the production process Patagonia applies a system of transparency and traceability that takes into account social and environmental justice and as such works with organic cotton and wool and recycled PET bottles to produce the polyester and fleeces. In fact it has been using recycled materials since the 90s. Most amazingly they offer a lifetime guarantee for their products which is a sign that they will not be selling stuff designed-for-the-dump with planned obsolescence like most do. Then when it comes the time to deal with the impact of the products at the end of their life look at what they do: REDUCE: Don’t buy form us what you don’t need or can’t really use This is the message from Patagonia to reduce waste generation.

They acknowledge that everything anyone makes costs the planet more than it gives back and as such they don’t try to convince you to buy their clothes. Actually Patagonia has been running anti-consumerist campaigns in the most consumerist days in the calendar. For instance in the US consumption day, called Black Friday they paid a campaign to not buy their items. Point Release 1.32c Patch. (See pic) REPAIR With the lifetime guarantee Patagonia also offers the possibility to get your stuff repaired for free, you just have to pay the transport costs. REUSE The company encourages customers to donate the garments when they no longer want to wear them. In the US it even opened a platform in E-bay to help the second hand market of its own products.

When most fashion companies send to landfill the stocks that they don’t manage to sell Patagonia donates its unsold goods to people who lose their belongings in disasters. RECYCLE “Recycling is what we do when we’re out of options to avoid, repair, or reuse the product first” says. Credit Card Generator 4.0. Indeed, recycling should be the last option but even then Patagonia offers a very interesting takeback program in which customers can bring back their old Patagonia clothes and gear to the shops that sell them. Like this Patagonia took back 45 tons of waste and produced 34 tons of new clothes.

All in all Patagonia is a very good example of how to bring the Zero Waste philosophy into practice and a good hint as to what real sustainability is about. REDUCE WE make useful gear that lasts a long time YOU don’t buy what you don’t need REPAIR WE help you repair your Patagonia gear YOU pledge to fix what’s broken REUSE WE help find a home for Patagonia gear you no longer need YOU sell or pass it on* RECYCLE WE will take back your Patagonia gear that is worn out YOU pledge to keep your stuff out of the landfill and incinerator REIMAGINE TOGETHER we reimagine a world where we take only what nature can replace.