Below is a creative way of sharing the short life-cycle of a t-shirt, along the way are some facts about each stage of production. Look out for another poster on how to make this cycle sustainable and circular!
Tag: Clothing
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Patagonia’s Journey To Sustainability
Many businesses claim to be sustainable, but what does this mean? This post shares what being a sustainable business entails through the eyes of a leading outdoor retailer, Patagonia.
Where it all began…
In 1957, Chouinard Yvon, Patagonia’s founder, taught himself how to blacksmith. With his newfound skill, he made pitons (an anchor which assists climbers and stops them from falling) which he sold from a small shop in his parent’s backyard and his car when travelling, each one sold for $1.50. Fast forward to 1965, Yvon went into partnership with Tom Frost aiming to make stronger, lighter, simpler and more functional climbing tools, by 1970 they became the largest supplier of climbing hardware in the US. However, it was seen that their pitons were damaging to the rocks they were hammered into, and as a result, Chouinard reduced the number of pitons produced and developed alternatives which did not harm the rock. This was Patagonia’s, formerly known as Chouinard Equipment, first environmentally conscious step.
The cotton initiative
Almost 30 years after its launch, Patagonia began an industrial change where all its cotton sportswear was converted to being made out of 100% organically grown cotton rather than conventional cotton.
Independent environmental impact assessments found that farming cotton was one of the most harmful processes throughout a product’s life cycle. To spread awareness of the impact cotton production was having on farmers, employees of Patagonia were taken on a tour of cotton farms where they experienced nausea and burning eyes from the chemicals used to grow cotton. Farmers were expected to be exposed to these conditions every day. These tours still occur to educate those working beyond the farm on the importance of sustainable processes. On return from the first tour, Chouinard released a company-wide order stating all sportswear is to be produced using 100% organic cotton, this was to be completed within 18 months. Any clothes still being produced using conventional methods would be dropped from the line. In total, 66 items were produced using organic cotton and ready for release. Two years later, sportwear sales returned to previous levels at which point the change could be considered a success.
Quality Checks
Each item released by Patagonia must undergo an assessment using a balanced scorecard. Each item starts off with 10 points and for each of the categories not met, a point is deducted. The categories are as follows:
- Is it functional?
- Is it multifunctional?
- Is it durable?
- Does it cause any unnecessary harm?
- Is it repairable?
- Does it have aesthetic appeal?
- Does it fit?
- Is it easy to care for?
- Is it globally relevant?
- Is the product and line simple?
This process ensures each item is of high quality, adds value to the customer, can be repaired and has a transparent life cycle. On average Patagonia products score 8.87, products scoring below 8 are dropped or improved and released later.
Worn Wear
The Worn Wear clothing repair program was released in 2012 where customers could take damaged Patagonia clothing to be repaired, giving it a new life and reducing waste. Concepts like this show that the main mission for Patagonia is not to exploit resources to gain an economic reward, but to provide high-quality products which are produced and consumed with environmental concern.
Present Day
Patagonia is a certified B Corporation that donates 1% of its annual sales revenue to environmentally positive organisations. Other leading clothing retailers, like H&M and Nike, have also invested in organic cotton producers causing a shift in the clothing industry.
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