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Patagonia Now Guarantees Every Shell Uses Recycled Material, Fair Trade Sewing

Patagonia climbers recycled Fair Trade shell jackets
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Calling it a ‘first in the industry,’ Patagonia announced that every one of its waterproof shells, from lifestyle to alpine, now has recycled face fabrics and Fair Trade Certified sewing.

Plenty of brands use recycled materials in their shells. And plenty others commit to Fair Trade sewing practices. But none do both for their entire shell line — until now.

That’s the claim Patagonia made this week when it announced its entire line of waterproof shells, 61 garments in total, use both recycled material on the face fabric and Fair Trade Certified factories for sewing.

Patagonia recycled fair trade waterproof shells

“The conversion to using recycled materials in each and every shell was slow and gradual, then sudden,” the brand said in a press release. “We’ve now reached a point where we can draw a line in the sand that every shell uses recycled fabrics — and is Fair Trade Certified sewn — or we simply don’t make it.”

Patagonia told us the recycled material promise means every shell’s face fabrics are 40-100 percent recycled. The Ventura, California, gear giant said it made the move, in part, because 97 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions occur in its own supply chain. And of that, 86 percent derives from the creation of virgin synthetic fabrics.

Going recycled across its entire line brings Patagonia one step closer to its pledge to go completely carbon-neutral by 2025. Shop all of Patagonia’s recycled shell line here.

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