Patagonia's Ongoing Recycling Program . It's becoming a difficult challenge. By Heather Green. INNOVATION & DESIGNThe idea seems so simple. Why can't apparel be as recyclable as, say, plastic bottles or newspapers? After all, many garments hang around in closets long past the point when anyone wants to wear them, only to wind up in landfills. Patagonia has spent years tackling this problem—and is making progress. As of this fall, the outdoor clothing company has taken back 1. Some 4. 7% of Patagonia's products are recyclable today. And the goal is to boost that to 1. But experts inside and outside the company say that to hit the new target, Patagonia has to overcome daunting technical challenges. Patagonia's efforts date back to 2. Common Threads, the first global recycling program for apparel. The company began with modest goals. It asked people to mail in or drop off at stores used Capilene brand underwear made from polyester. Patagonia was able to recycle these goods into new . Encouraged by customer feedback and partnerships with clothing recyclers, it expanded the program to include organic cottons and fleece polyester products. It's true that recycling cottons and polyesters adds to costs. But Patagonia executives say prosperity shouldn't come at the expense of the environment. And besides, they say, there is an economic payoff in the end: Using recycled polyester to produce goods that are recyclable reduces waste and leads to a 7. The buzzwords in this area are . Popularized by environmental architect and design guru William Mc. Donough, these terms express the goal of turning castoff goods and industrial waste into new products that are just as desirable as the original goods. For example, rather than fuse plastic bottles into building materials that will wind up in landfills, the producer might turn old plastic bottles into material for new plastic bottles. That way, raw resources aren't needed to produce the same amount of goods. Environmentalists find this idea inspiring. But pioneers in the green business sector say closed loop systems are very much works in progress. Patagonia realized that, in order to increase the supply of recycled materials for its own products, it needed to get other big apparel companies onto the same page. About two years ago, it teamed up with two of its biggest competitors, REI and Timberland (TBL), to discuss reducing all the companies' environmental . Spun yarn tends to pill, or bunch up into little balls, which led to unsatisfactory results when Patagonia tried to use it in certain knits and woven outerwear shells. Indeed, so far it has been usable only in two lines of pants, one line of shorts, and a limited- edition bag. Toray's recycling process also can't make use of any of the old nylon garments Patagonia has sold over the past 3. It can only work with color dyes and finishing chemicals specially formulated for the process—ruling out Patagonia's old nylon products and forcing the U. S. Instead of nylon, why not make more garments out of polyester? For this, the company turned to another Japanese producer, Teijin, which creates polyester yarn out of old factory uniforms, industrial waste, and pop bottles. Teijin produces filament yarn that's suitable to a broader range of fabrics. But because polyester has properties such as being not as abrasion- resistant as nylon, Patagonia has only been able to convert some nylon products, like alpine shell jackets, to polyester. PROMISING FABRIC PROSPECTSBy collaborating with a new group of partners, some of these obstacles might be overcome. In August, Greensboro (N. C)- based Unifi (UFI) introduced a high- quality, recycled nylon filament yarn. Patagonia is now working with knitters to produce fabric to see how supple and how dyeable it is. Another promising prospect is Chain Yarn, a Taiwanese yarn vendor that takes back the waste from weavers who use its yarn to make fabrics. It then turns the waste into new yarn. But as much as Unifi and Chain Yarn solve one part of the problem—providing recycled yarn—they don't take back used garments. Instead they recycle the waste that comes directly from their machines or weavers. So for now, Patagonia's goal of a closed- loop system for nylon remains elusive. The goal of Patagonia's Common Threads program is to sell only recycled and recyclable products by 2010. It's becoming a difficult challenge. There's a risk such stumbling blocks will prove discouraging to Patagonia's partners, such as REI and Mountain Equipment Co- op (MEC). MEC launched a clothing take- back program a year and a half ago. But the Canadian company is having a hard time setting up an efficient system for sorting through clothing to send back to recycling partners. But they're focusing more on the production part of the equation. About 2. 0% of the fabric used to make a shirt or a skirt is wasted, because once patterns are cut, it's hard to use that cut fabric. By working with fabric makers to recycle the waste they produce, REI and MEC hope that the industry will be able to increase the amount of fabric that's recycled and recyclable. Patagonia remains committed to its Common Threads program. And it still aims to make 1. But the company also recognizes that goods such as luggage, backpacks, wet suits, and shoes present challenges and will take more time. Nylon turns out to be a real stumper. When Patagonia began looking at recyclable and recycled nylon, the one producer that could meet its requirements was Toray, a Japanese textile maker. But having just one supplier proved problematic. PATAGONIA COMMON THREADS RECYCLING PROGRAM MOVES FORWARD — May 03. Patagonia is currently working with two recycling programs. Organic cotton and wool meanwhile are recycled in Italy. Recycled Fish is a non-profit organization of anglers who have taken a pledge to live a Lifestyle of Stewardship both on and off the water. Along with stewardship we also promote S.A.F.E. Angling, such as selective harvest. Update: Patagonia's Progress with Closed-Loop Recycling. In 2005, Patagonia launched its Common Threads Recycling Program. 12 tons of clothing have been recycled through the Common Threads program. Patagonia's announcement of its new 'Worn Wear' resale. Patagonia Launches Resale Outlets for Pre-Loved Items. Since 2005, the company says it has recycled more than 56 tons of secondhand clothing and. Patagonia to recycle customers’ underwear. Patagonia Inc ( Ventura, CA) has launched the Common Threads Recycling Program which will convert used base-layers, or long underwear, into new polyester fiber.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2017
Categories |