The climate crisis is an existential threat, and every part of Patagonia’s business is implicated. We must radically reduce carbon emissions by transforming how we make our products. We must also double down on our work to help communities get off fossil fuels and protect nature, the original climate solution. And we must demand nothing short of systemic change from government and industry. The fight is on every front.
Carbon Neutral Is Not Enough
Purchasing offsets to get to carbon neutral doesn’t erase the footprint we create and won’t save us in the long run. If our goal was to cut emissions from our owned and operated stores, offices and distribution centers, we’d be good. But the bulk of our emissions—95 percent—comes from our supply chain and materials manufacturing. We take responsibility for all of it.
Fiscal Year 2020 Total CO₂ Emissions – 224,565 Metric Tons CO₂e
How We Cut Our Carbon
Get oil out of our clothesOur Materials
Make products based on Environmental Profit & LossOur Metrics
Clean up every part of our businessOur Supply Chain
No More Virgin Petroleum Fibers by 2025Our product line accounts for more than 90 percent of our total carbon emissions. While Patagonia has long used materials with lower environmental impacts, we haven’t been able to stop using fossil fuels altogether. By 2025 we will only use preferred materials—organic and Regenerative Organic cotton, recycled polyester and recycled nylon, among others. We’re already at 87 percent of our line and counting. This effort will reduce our emissions by 15 percent. (We, too, wish this number were larger, but every percent counts!) Through our growing Worn Wear program, Patagonia will continue to offer customers clothes with 60 percent lower emissions than new.
NetPlus™ Material Made from Recycled Fishing NetsNetPlus™ material is made from 100 percent recycled discarded fishing nets collected in fishing communities in South America.
Regenerative Organic Certified™ CottonWe’ve used organic cotton exclusively since 1996 and we’re now testing Regenerative Organic practices with cotton farmers in India.
Yulex® Natural RubberIn 2016 we replaced neoprene rubber with natural rubber to reduce our use of petroleum-based materials in our wetsuits by 85 percent.
Is Each Product Worth the Environmental Cost?Our Environmental Profit & Loss, or EP&L metric, calculates the carbon, water and waste costs of every item we sell (that goes for our best sellers, too). We use EP&L to drive our product choices; identify and prioritize meaningful improvements; stop making styles until their impact can be lessened; and reduce how much we make. The EP&L holds us accountable to our customers, and the planet.
Help Suppliers Cut EmissionsOne hundred percent clean energy for our stores and offices throughout North America is a start, but Patagonia’s supply chain is global, and it’s where more than 90 percent of our carbon emissions come from. The truth is, our partners rely on fossil fuels, and we can’t just demand changes; we must invest in them. We’re financing energy and carbon audits for partners that focus on improving energy efficiency, implementing renewable energy off-site and on-site, and reducing coal and other carbon-intensive fuels used in the manufacturing of our materials.
Transforming Our Business Is Not EnoughTransforming how we do business is a crucial lever, but the climate crisis demands much more. We will support community-led efforts to go fossil-fuel-free and protect nature. We will also use any power and influence we have to meet climate change with systems change.
Protect nature to slow climate changeNature-Based Solutione
Support a just transition to renewablesClean Energy
Strengthen the movement to save our home planetOur Activism Toolkit
Protect Nature as a Climate SolutionOld-growth forests. Wetlands. Peat lands. Coastal marine habitats. Regenerative agriculture. Science confirms that nature can reduce a third of the CO2 we need captured by 2030 to slow catastrophic warming. For nearly 50 years, Patagonia has protected the wild places we love. Given the science and urgency, we now focus more than ever on the high-carbon landscapes that can save us, too. For example, through partnerships with local and Indigenous communities and our 1% for the Planet program, Patagonia has supported the protection of Alaska's Tongass National Forest since 2008, with its 17 million acres of old-growth spruce, hemlock, and cedar that hold hundreds of millions of tons of carbon.
Invest in Community PowerCommunities know what they need to make a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. We support local knowledge and activation of climate solutions, particularly with Black, Indigenous and other communities of color that have been hit the hardest, lost the most and had the least say in their climate realities. Patagonia will expand our support of groups such as the ones we featured in our recent films DISTRICT 15 (on fighting Big Oil and Gas in California) and We the Power (on the energy-democracy movement in Europe). At the same time, we’re committed to a new energy system that gives communities real power.
Strengthen the MovementPatagonia has long supported grassroots groups on the front lines of the environmental crisis. In the last five years, we’ve given nearly $14 million to groups working to slow climate change. We’ll continue to make grants, while expanding our Patagonia Action Works platform that links individuals—like you—to community activism. We’re pushing industry to adopt higher standards, and we’re demanding progressive regulations and significant investment from government. During election years, we get out the vote and fight voter suppression to help elect leaders who will fight for healthy communities and a habitable planet.
“The climate crisis poses an existential threat; if we don’t clean up our mess, we’ll be history. Business has a role to play, but it’s only one lever. We must use all the tools at our disposal to secure a safer, more just future.”
Ryan Gellert, Patagonia CEO
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