Patagonia's Common Threads Initiative
Patagonia's 5-step program called the Common Threads Initiative offers a creative solution to textile waste and represents a large step toward environmental sustainability.
The steps are:
Reduce - Patagonia encourages customers to buy only the things they need and to care for them as best they can, thus reducing the environmental impact with laundering, ironing, drying, etc.
Repair - Patagonia will repair items that are sent to them - either free of charge (if the garment is flawed) or charges a fair price for normal wear and tear. Patagonia stands behind their products and believes their garments have a long life.
Reuse - the company implores donating used clothing (as do we at Planet Aid), and they also offer the option of selling used Patagonia clothing through their Common Threads Initiative website. They also donate their factory seconds/or last season's unsold goods to activists working in the field or for disaster relief
Recycle - Patagonia offers the option to return a garment whose life has come to an end and they will recycle the item into new fiber or fabric. In the past 12 years, the company has taken back 45 tons of clothing for recycling and made 34 tons into new clothes. Last year, Planet Aid collected nearly 100 million pounds of used clothing and shoes to be recycled and that doesn't even scratch the surface. In the U.S., only 15% of the total volume of textile waste being generated is recycled.
Reimagine - Patagonia takes pride in its effort to protect the environment and in doing so, recognizes the potential to reimagine what could happen in a future sustainable world. By recycling used clothing and shoes, Planet Aid works to protect our environment by saving on landfill space and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. Also, by reusing clothes instead of disposing of them, there is less need to grow cotton or other materials needed to produce new fabric. Given that cotton is susceptible to insect damage, saving clothes from disposal reduces the use of hazardous insecticides.
Planet Aid recognizes that the Earth's resources are finite and that good stewardship is essential for the well-being of current and future generations. We applaud and appreciate the efforts of Patagonia's Common Threads Initiative.