Patagonia: High-Performance, Low-Eco Impact

Ironically when it comes to performance wear, the better the product the less we notice it. That’s because really good products enable us to focus our attention on our favorite activities by keeping us comfortable under diverse weather conditions. And it’s with regard to performance that
Patagonia has forged its reputation. For years Yvon Chouinard and company have turned out products worn by many of the most extreme and accomplished athletes in the world. Layer on top of that Patagonia’s ability to develop products in environmentally responsible fashion and you’re talking about a brand that truly aspires to a "no compromise" mindset.

Take Patagonia’s Common Threads Recycling Program. The concept is exquisite: Use recycled materials to make high-quality, long-lasting products. When consumers are finally finished with them take them back and turn them into new products. Patagonia is at the forefront of what may be an environmental paradigm shift for the clothing/fashion industry by reducing both its dependence upon virgin natural resources as well as its business costs. Imagine if one day you could purchase that must-have Prada dress or Armani suit or Coach handbag or True Religion jeans and then give it back when the season was over so your favorite fashion house could transform it into something new. The eco-impact of your consumption would fall dramatically while you would still derive the pleasure from your purchase.

The point is that it’s not blanket consumerism that’s to blame for our current environmental crisis. It’s the manner in which companies make consumer products and the way in which we consume them. There’s so much room to do things smarter. Fortunately, we have companies like Patagonia to lead the way.

CHECK THE GARB
All of these products belong to Patagonia’s Common Threads Recycling Program:

Women's Stretch Velocity Hoody - $120

Men's R1® Hoody - $120

Women's Powder Bowl Jacket - $350






Men's Classic Retro-X Vest - $120

Women's Stretch Velocity Zip Neck - $100

Men's Guide Jacket - $175

Women's R2® Jacket - $200

Men's Powder Bowl Jacket - $350



Women's Light Smoke Flash Jacket - $300

Men's Stretch Velocity Full-Zip - $120

-- Josh