Textile Exchange

"Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis."
 This is Patagonia’s mission.  We are keenly aware that everything we do, or have done in our name, leaves a mark on the environment. There is no such thing as sustainable business but every day we take steps to lighten our footprint and do less harm.  The Footprint Chronicles allows our customer to track the impact of a specific Patagonia product from design through delivery.

In May 2007, Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, challenged a group of ten employees to track five products from the design studio to the raw-materials stage to Patagonia’s Nevada distribution center. His gumshoes canvassed the globe, observing yarn spinners in Thailand, visiting a 50,000-employee footwear factory in China, touring a fiber-manufacturing facility in North Carolina. These efforts led to the launch of the Footprint Chronicles micro-site through Patagonia.com in the fall of 2007.
  

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/footprint/index.jsp

The Footprint Chronicles examine Patagonia’s habits as a company offering short videos and detailed information to educate the consumer on the impact of their purchase. The idea is to give more of our practices some air and thought, and to change habits often played out on an industrial scale, with concomitant effects. We’ve been in business long enough to know that when we can reduce or eliminate a harm, other businesses will be eager to follow suit.  

See Product Footprint data for more than 150 products on Patagonia.com. Look for the "Product Footprint" tab next to the "Product Information" tab on the product pages.