Patagonia offers to recycle your fleece: even if it’s a North Face one

January 29, 2007

Got an old Polartec fleece hanging unloved in your wardrobe? Starting today, you'll be able to send it to green outdoor-wear outfit Patagonia to have it recycled - regardless of whether it was made by North Face, Snow + Rock or Patagonia itself.

For Patagonia's been encouraging its loyal fanbase to send in their long johns for recycling already, but this new expansion of its 'Common Threads' programme marks something of a world first for one big manufactuer recycling its rivals' garments.

So what do you do if you've got an old fleece you'd liked to donate? Either post it to Patagonia's Paris HQ or use the company's dealer finder to track down a store that'll take your fleece - though you should call ahead, as not all of them are yet participating in the scheme.

You're probably wondering by now whether it'd be greener to just donate the fleece to your old charity shop, but according to Patagonia's own research, sending its donated fleece to its recycling plant in Japan uses over 80 per cent less electricity and CO2 than creating virgin fleeces. The company says that not only is Japan the only country with the facilities it requires but the process is so efficient it's actually 6 per cent less energy intensive - in CO2 emissions - than getting the clothes recycled in Europe or the US.

Patagonia's ultimate aim, it adds, is to be able to recycle all its clothing range by 'around 2010'.

In the meantime, if recycling your clothes doesn't grab you, re-use them and give them to a charity shop - the likes of fabulous ethical fashion label TRAID Remade already turns punters' charity shop leftovers into hip new clothes.

Comments

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Thu, April 05, 2007 at 8:45am
whitepk says

Spot the non-sequitur below. No evidence is provided that it isn’t better to give your fleece to a charity shop. Re-use is almost always better than recyling. And why are you getting rid of your fleece anyway?:

“You’re probably wondering by now whether it’d be greener to just donate the fleece to your old charity shop, but according to Patagonia’s own research, sending its donated fleece to its recycling plant in Japan uses over 80 per cent less electricity and CO2 than creating virgin fleeces. The company says that not only is Japan the only country with the facilities it requires but the process is so efficient it’s actually 6 per cent less energy intensive - in CO2 emissions - than getting the clothes recycled in Europe or the US.”
Thu, April 05, 2007 at 3:43pm
Adam Vaughan says

Fair point, whitepk, I think my article was written a bit hastily and without enough subbing on my part. I didn’t mean to conflate re-use at a charity shop with recycling in Japan. Obviously the order of priority is almost always ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’. So, yes, the greenest thing to do is to reduce the amount of clothes you’re buying in the first place. Still, there’s nothing wrong with getting rid of a fleece if it’s knackered - you can’t expect them to last indefinitely!
Thu, April 05, 2007 at 7:52pm
whitepk says

Yes, Adam, I think you’re right. I have a fleece that’s about 15 years old now and although I’m really attached to it, I’m going to have to bin it soon (it’s in holes and there’s hardly any ‘fleece’ left on it). I’ll definitely see if I can get Patagonia to recycle it! I’ve passed this link on to my brother, who works in the (pedal) bike trade, and told him to pass it on.

I wonder if Howies know about recycled fleece? They’re into organic and recycled cotton…