Patagonia: Committed to Creating Long-Lasting Products

The apparel industry contributes around 2% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Resources Institute.

In response, firms like Patagonia are implementing strategies to lower their carbon footprint with a focus on supply chain management and energy efficiency in manufacturing.

Patagonia, which operates in 45 countries with 106 owned stores, has now published its first sustainability progress report outlining its approach to decarbonisation.

Interestingly, it states: “Nothing we do is sustainable.” The company's position is that no business can truly give back more to the environment than it takes. Instead, Patagonia aims for transparency and accountability, acknowledging its environmental impact and outlining the steps it is taking to reduce and repair that damage.

Decarbonisation and energy efficiency

Patagonia has set a target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. Patagonia’s strategy for this goal is not based on purchasing carbon offsets but on fundamentally cleaning up its supply chain to prevent pollution at the source.

A key objective is for its globally owned and operated facilities to be powered by 100% renewable electricity. By the end of its 2025 fiscal year, Patagonia reports reaching 98% renewable electricity usage and is now focused on addressing the final 2%.

Yvon Chouinard, Founder and Ex-Owner of Patagonia, says: “Patagonia is not perfect by any means. We do not have all the answers, but the fear of getting things wrong in the process cannot stop us from trying to get things right in the end.

"We have work ahead of us to reach the full potential of our business structure, prove this experiment works and explain why it matters to our employees and community.”

Sourcing sustainable manufacturing materials

A central theme in the report is Patagonia's commitment to creating high-quality, durable products.

Patagonia focuses on ensuring its apparel and accessories are responsibly made, multifunctional and repairable, which helps to reduce waste and conserve natural resources. An important part of this strategy involves the use of recycled materials in its manufacturing.

In the 2025 fiscal year, the report states that more thann93% of Patagonia’s polyester and 89% of its nylon are from recycled sources, reducing Patagonia’s consumption of petroleum and supporting the growth of waste recycling streams.

Patagonia is concentrating on sourcing recycled synthetic materials that match the durability of their non-recycled or virgin counterparts. The ultimate goal is to eliminate the use of virgin synthetic fibres made from petroleum by the end of 2025.

Ryan Gellert, CEO at Patagonia, says: “The last thing we wanted was for this progress report to be page after page of self-congratulation. While we do get into specifics about the work done by teams across the company and pay credit to deserving colleagues, this report is a way to stay accountable to our community by showing what we’re committed to and what we’re doing to achieve it.

"By sharing our best practices and overcoming our fear of calling out the worst ones, we can have real lasting impact.”

Industry collaboration on climate action

Beyond internal processes, Patagonia is also involved in broader industry efforts. Patagonia is a co-founder of the Brands for Public Lands coalition, established in April 2025 with The Conservation Alliance.

The group now includes 100 brands with a collective goal to protect public lands from threats like defunding, development and resource extraction. It represents more than 62,000 employees and almost US$20bn in annual revenue.

Members commit to supporting legal action, influencing policymakers and educating customers on these issues.

“Businesses must move on from declaring they care about the planet, then hiding behind industry organisations that lobby against climate action in the name of profits,” Ryan explains.

“It’s going to take real, sometimes uncomfortable work from all of us, but let’s agree that corporate climate action goes beyond sustainability slogans and examining our own practices and impact.”