Patagonia announces major expansion of garment recycling program
29 Jan '07
3 min read
Patagonia Inc announced the expansion of the Common Threads Recycling Program. This revolutionary program, which initially asked customers to return worn out Capilene baselayers, also known as long underwear, to Patagonia, has expanded to include the collection of used Polartec-branded garments by Patagonia or any other company, and Patagonia cotton tee shirts.
With this ground-breaking expansion, these worn-out items will feed Patagonia's own supply chain to make new clothing. With the expansion of this recycling program, Patagonia becomes the first global company in the world to recycle competitors' garments.
In the spirit of spreading the garment recycling word, Patagonia has created a hilarious short film about the Common Threads Recycling Program.
"Our goal is to assume full responsibility for our products, as well as our competitors' products, at the end of their useful life," notes Patagonia president and CEO, Casey Sheahan. "We hope to expand the world view of recycling beyond just aluminum cans, newspapers and bottles -- we're aiming to make clothing a recyclable resource."
Effective January 29, 2007, customers may return any company's worn-out Polartec-branded garments, Patagonia fleece, Patagonia cotton tees and Capilene long underwear to Patagonia, via mail or at any of the 20 Patagonia retail stores nationwide. In Fall 2007, almost one third of the company's garments will be recyclable through the newly expanded take-back recycling program.