As global warming continues to become a pressing issue of our time, people are constantly looking for small ways they can make lifestyle changes that will positively contribute to the efforts to decrease the impact of climate change on our planet.
Patagonia is a great company to purchase from when you need apparel, outdoor equipment, and even footwear. They keep the Earth in mind at all times and allow us to make decisions that help the environment.
Why Shop Sustainable?
People have busy lives and can’t always dedicate their entire day towards volunteering at a farm or planting trees. However, small actions can be taken every day, especially when making purchase decisions, that can make a big difference.
It also increases quality of life after a purchase knowing that not only will you receive a product you desire, but also you are helping the environment as well.
The Bottom Line
Patagonia Inc. is a sustainable company that was built and is withheld on the basis of sustainability and environmental preservation.
Its founder, Yvon Chouinard, was committed to ensuring that Patagonia would be beneficial to the environment ever since it was first founded.
The Fascinating Website Itself
The moment you click on the Patagonia website it’s very easy to navigate to the company’s core values towards the environment. It discusses how their products are made using recycled materials
The website also has an entire page dedicated to connecting consumers with organizations geographically close to them to allow them to get involved with the efforts to make a positive impact on our world.
Impactful Down to the Very Core
Patagonia attempts to utilize recycled materials and fibers through using factory floor pre-consumer scraps, recycled soda bottles, and recycled fishing nets.
These efforts landed Patagonia Inc. a spot in the Textile Exchange, a group that recognizes companies that use recycled materials in their production, which helps reduce waste and reuse old scraps that would otherwise be waste.
No Waste Here!
One of the main issues with the current fashion industry is the waste produced through both the production of clothing as well as the disposal of clothing by consumers. Patagonia purposely makes their clothing durable to ensure that the items won’t fall apart quickly and then have to be thrown out and sent to landfills.
Patagonia Inc. claims to make efforts to avoid clothes being thrown out, which they do uphold. This also will save you money in the long run because you won’t have to repurchase your clothing as often.
Innovative Programming
The company has a “Worn Wear” program where people can send in their used clothing that is still intact where they can then be resold as “used items” at a discounted price.
By doing this, materials are saved because Patagonia doesn’t have to produce as many items. Additionally, slow fashion clothing is more accessible to people because it costs less for them.
Donations for Good
Patagonia implemented a “1% for the planet” movement where the company promised to give 1% of its sales to the efforts towards helping the environment. Not only does Patagonia avidly support this movement, but the company and its founder also urge other corporations to join the movement as well.
Patagonia’s belief is that this will encourage businesses to keep the environment in mind as well as promote corporate responsibility.
Honesty is the Best Policy!
All of Patagonia’s production locations and partners are readily accessible and published for anyone to see. The company doesn’t keep anything a secret when it comes to its production and this is because there are no malicious practices that should be hidden.
They also treat all their employees with respect and ensure that everyone involved has a good quality of life.
Urging Others Towards Productive Action
Patagonia donates money to social and environmental justice organizations, organizations that support the reduction of plastic pollution, and organizations that fight for wilderness and wildfire relief.
Many companies that sell apparel simply put all of the money back into the business. Patagonia is setting a prime example for other businesses to take action towards an issue that has a truly meaningful impact.
Problems with the Clothing Industry
There are countless current issues with the clothing industry that increase the need for sustainable companies like Patagonia.
Clothing production requires many resources, from the materials the clothing is made out of to the energy it takes to actually produce the clothing. This leads to a large amount of waste in many different sectors such as water waste, chemical pollution, and microplastic pollution.
