Most clothes are made using energy from coal-fueled power plants. This adds warming gases into the air we breathe and accelerates the climate crisis. In just one year, the clothing industry will contribute 1.2 billion tons of CO2 emissions into our air. That’s as many emissions as international flights and maritime shipping combined.
Extracting and processing virgin materials takes a toll on land, water and air. To do our part, Patagonia is moving toward 100% renewable and recycled raw materials. By using both synthetic and natural fibers made from pre-consumer and post-consumer waste, we are limiting our dependence on raw materials and reducing carbon emissions.
Post-consumer refers to any finished product that has been used then diverted from landfills at the end of its life. This includes anything that you throw in the recycling bin at home or at designated textile-collection bins.
Sometimes referred to as “post-industrial,” pre-consumer waste is created during the manufacturing process, like fabric scraps or yarn waste from weaving mills and spinning factories. The recycled yarn is sometimes mixed with other materials, like polyester, to ensure there is no loss in performance.
Less than 1% of material used to make clothing gets turned into new clothing every year. To truly make an impact, we need industry-wide change. If the clothing industry recycled at the same rate as Patagonia, we could reduce the equivalent emissions needed to power every household in California for one year.*
*Patagonia has removed 20,000 tons of CO2e by using recycled content in one year. If we all did this together, we could remove 114,000,000 tons of CO2e. The calculation is based on extrapolating Patagonia’s current fabric mix (75% polyester, 12% cotton, 5% nylon, 2% down, 1% wool, 1% hemp and 4% other fiber types). According to the EPA emissions calculator, 114,000,000 metric tons of CO2e is equal to the amount of CO2e that results from the energy used in ~13,651,060 homes. According to census data, the total number of households in California is 13 million.
Because we know prioritizing durability results in consuming less energy, wasting less water and creating less trash.
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