Fashion and textiles are one of the most polluting industries in the world. Every stage of the fashion and textile supply chain threatens our planet and resources. Consumers are aware of the importance of sustainability and are willing to buy sustainable fashion products even though they are highly expensive. The increasing awareness of sustainability, many fashion brands such as Nike, Adidas and The North Face have incorporated eco-design elements into new products. Here, the global outdoor sports wear Patagonia develops its sustainable product by using eco-friendly materials such as recycled down, organic cotton and traceable down.
Earlier studies have indicated that design processes influence decision-making in the fashion supply chain; as a result, eco-design is critically important for sustainable supply chain. When it comes to providing the greatest product possible, Patagonia has always been a firm that puts customer satisfaction before of profit. As a result, they were not particularly successful for a long period. Sales may have suffered in the near term, but the resources that were freed up can now be used to develop more ecologically friendly and environmentally sustainable production processes.
Patagonia declared in 2011 that it would cease production of military-related products for the United States. Despite the short-term loss of revenue, the corporation decided that it was more vital to concentrate on environmentally friendly and resource-efficient production processes. Reducing its dependence on toxic chemicals and synthetic materials, Patagonia has been able to focus on using more sustainable materials like wool and cotton, rather than creating products for the military. For as long as anybody can remember, Patagonia has been known for its commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability.Patagonia was able to lessen its dependency on hazardous chemicals and synthetic materials by not creating products for the military, and instead chose to use more environmentally friendly materials like wool and cotton.
In order to satisfy consumer needs and social development, eco-design is quite popular at present. We collected information of the famous outdoor sportswear brand Patagonia and analysed Patagonia’s product line in terms of eco-design and found that Patagonia mainly uses organic, recycled, and traceable materials in product line design.
Reference:
- Patagonia. Environmental & Social Responsibility. Available online: http://www.patagonia.com/environmentalism.html (accessed on 19 June 2017)
- Chouinard, Y.; Brown, M.S. Going organic: Converting Patagonia’s cotton product line. J. Ind. Ecol. 1997, 1, 117–129. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Fuller, D.A.; Ottman, J.A. Moderating unintended pollution: The role of sustainable product design. J. Bus. Res. 2004, 57, 1231–1238. [Google Scholar] [Cross Ref ]
Submitted by,
Nisha Sivankutty and Rishin Tomy
4 March 2022 at 8:29 am
Reviewed KM March 4
7 March 2022 at 5:02 am
Hey Nisha and Rishin
Hope you guys are doing well
Your research is very informative for me personally as I have never heard of a company named Patagonia and never thought that fashion could have adverse effects on environment. After reading your blog I researched about Patagonia and came to know that the products that are sustainable by design possess the potential to improve product safety, prevent pollution and mitigate climate change and this all could be made possible at the design stage of product development. Patagonia, the American clothing company has shifted towards 100% renewable and recycled raw materials, lifetime repair guarantees and to improve product safety, prevent pollution, mitigate climate change. One thing that make Patagonia unique from other similar brands is that it provides free fixation and repairs service to old and worn out clothes. Moreover, it uses 100% renewable electricity in their stores in entire US and that alone could save a huge amount of energy and their long history of donations towards good causes is quite impressive. Patagonia has pledged to become a carbon-neutral company until 2025. Going even further, they are working on becoming a true zero waste company. Going Zero Waste is a first step, but it is still a long way to go. I am curious to see how Patagonia further improve itself and inspire other companies to incline towards sustainability in the coming future.
7 March 2022 at 5:17 am
Hey Nisha and Rishin
Hope you guys are doing well
Your research is very informative for me personally as I have never heard of a company named Patagonia and never thought that fashion could have adverse effects on environment. After reading your blog I researched about Patagonia and came to know that the products that are sustainable by design possess the potential to improve product safety, prevent pollution and mitigate climate change and this all could be made possible at the design stage of product development. Patagonia, the American clothing company has shifted towards 100% renewable and recycled raw materials, lifetime repair guarantees and to improve product safety, prevent pollution, mitigate climate change. One thing that make Patagonia unique from other similar brands is that it provides free fixation and repairs service to old and worn out clothes. Moreover, it uses 100% renewable electricity in their stores in entire US and that alone could save a huge amount of energy and their long history of donations towards good causes is quite impressive. Patagonia has pledged to become a carbon-neutral company until 2025. Going even further, they are working on becoming a true zero waste company. Going Zero Waste is a first step, but it is still a long way to go. I am curious to see how Patagonia further improve itself and inspire other companies to incline towards sustainability in the coming future.
References:
Wolf, J. (2021, March 26). Better brands: Is Patagonia sustainable? Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://sustainablereview.com/better-brands-is-patagonia-sustainable/#:~:text=If%20Patagonia%20is%20sustainable%2C%20they%20are%20one%20of,guarantees%2C%20and%20a%20fair-trade%20certification%20for%20factory%20workers.
Vermum, F. (2021, April 29). What Makes Patagonia A World Leader In Sustainability? Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.sportsustainability.org/news-events/patagonia