Patagonia Brodeo Beanie – Fitz Roy Icon

Recycled Nylon:Although Patagonia have been using recycled polyester in their garments for 20 years, for some reason locked deep in polymer chemistry, nylon is more difficult to recycle than polyester. After years of research, development, and testing, they’re finally finding some recycled nylon fibres that are suitable for apparel. Some of the recycled nylon they use comes from post-industrial waste fiber, yarn collected from a spinning factory, and waste from the weaving mills that can be processed into reusable nylon fibre. They’re diligently searching for a success story with recycled nylon. The challenge lies ahead of them, and they’re committed to discovering the best methods to recycle nylon fibre, but it appears this evolution will take many years.

Recycled Wool:One of the ways we can lessen the impact of wool production is to recycle used wool. The practice of recycling wool dates back hundreds of years. After wool sweaters had been worn threadbare, they were collected and shredded into individual fibres and then converted into blankets. Patagonia’s recycled wool comes from this same process. Aided by modern-day quality controls, the wool goes through a meticulous sorting of materials into colour categories prior to shredding. By selecting and blending colours of dyed wool fabrics and garments, they can completely eliminate the dyeing process, saving water and chemicals and eliminating the resulting wastewater.

Fair Trade Certified:Patagonia pay a premium for every Fair Trade Certified item that carries their label. That extra money goes directly to the workers at the factory, and they decide how to spend it. The program also promotes worker health and safety and social and environmental compliance, and encourages dialog between workers and management.