Baby Down Sweater

Nylon is one of the strongest plastics we use in our products. When we need a super-lightweight fabric, nylon is vital for its strength. But nylon is a petroleum-based material, and producing it has a high cost in energy and greenhouse gases. Incorporating as much recycled nylon as we can lessens our dependence on virgin petroleum as a raw material source, helps eliminate discarded material and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing.

Every textile Patagonia uses is the result of a complicated manufacturing process, making it difficult for them to evaluate all the raw materials, dyes and chemical auxiliary materials each of their suppliers use. bluesign® technologies, based in Switzerland, helps with this analysis, working at each step in the textile supply chain to assess and approve chemicals, processes, materials and products that are safe for the environment, workers and customers.

Old, frayed and torn fishing nets are discarded partly because of a lack of end-of-life solutions. Bureo®, a company based in California, is trying to fix this and to provide a responsible alternative to virgin plastics by working directly with fishing communities in South America.

An important fiber in Patagonia's line, polyester allows them to build lightweight materials that dry quickly and can be used in a variety of applications, including trail-running tops and yoga tights. Polyester also blends well with natural fabrics like cotton. But virgin polyester is derived from petroleum, which comes at a high environmental cost.

Recycled Down is a mix of 600-fill-power goose and duck down reclaimed from cushions, bedding and other used items that can’t be resold. It is hypoallergenic and offers the identical performance benefits to virgin down.