Our Industry Has a Carbon Problem.
Most clothing is made using energy from coal-fired power plants. This increases the volume of greenhouse gases in the air and accelerates the climate crisis. In just one year, the textile industry contributes 1.2 billion tons of CO2 to our atmosphere. That's the same amount of emissions as international flights and shipping combined.
We are moving away from virgin materials.
Extracting and processing virgin materials has a significant impact on the land, water, and air. To contribute to a healthier environment, we are transitioning to using 100% renewable and recycled raw materials. By using synthetic and natural fibers made from pre- and post-consumer waste, we are reducing our reliance on raw materials.
Our Post-Consumer Recycling
Post-consumer refers to any finished product that has been used and then prevented from ending up in a landfill at the end of its useful life. This includes anything you might put in the recycling bin at home or at textile recycling centers.
60% of the world's clothing is made from polyester, a plastic derived from petroleum. Using recycled polyester reduces our dependence on fossil fuels and keeps plastic bottles out of landfills.
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Over 700,000 tons of materials used in industrial fishing are lost to the ocean every year. Our chemically recycled nylon is made from used fishing nets, carpets, and pre-consumer plastic waste.
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More than 10 million tons of textile waste end up in landfills every year. Using recycled down reduces CO2 emissions by 44% compared to virgin down.
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Our Pre-Consumer Recycling
Also called “post-industrial,” pre-consumer waste is created during the manufacturing process, such as fabric scraps or yarn waste from weaving and spinning mills. Recycled yarn is sometimes blended with other materials, such as polyester, to ensure no loss in performance.
Nylon is a type of plastic made from crude oil. By using recycled nylon, we are reducing emissions and limiting our dependence on fossil fuels.
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It takes approximately 655 liters of water to produce 453.5 grams of conventional cotton. By using recycled cotton, we are saving water and reducing CO2 emissions by 80% compared to conventional cotton.
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We need the textile industry to change.
Less than 1% of the materials used to make clothing are turned into new garments each year. To make a real impact, we need change across the entire industry. If the textile industry recycled at the same rate as Patagonia, we could reduce emissions equivalent to the energy consumed by all California homes in a year*.
*Patagonia has removed 20,000 tons of CO2 using recycled content in one year. If we all did this together, we could remove 114,000,000 tons of CO2. This calculation is based on extrapolating from Patagonia's current fabric mix (75% polyester, 12% cotton, 5% nylon, 2% down, 1% wool, 1% hemp, and 4% other fibers). According to the EPA's emissions calculator, 114,000,000 metric tons of CO2 is equal to the amount of CO2 emitted by the energy used in approximately 13,651,060 homes. According to census data, the total number of homes in California is 13 million.
