At Merida we are often inspired by other companies and organizations that find unique ways to become more sustainable. I recently learned about Patagonia’s Common Threads Garment Recycling program and was thrilled to see that Patagonia is doing so much to both be a sustainable company, and also help their customers to be more environmentally aware as well. Their Common Threads program, started in 2005, allows customers to send in old, unwanted, or worn out Polartec fleece items. They are then broken down fiber by fiber and recreated into new Patagonia products. Simply amazing! The program was expanded in 2007 to include more garments, even some Patagonia brand t shirts. This helps prevent old polyester or fleece clothing from ending up in landfills or being incinerated, plus, it allows Patagonia to use less virgin materials in their products. Patagonia partners with a company called TEIJIN Ltd., that has perfected the recycling technology so that there is absolutely no difference in quality from the new and recycled fibers. Research shows that clothing made with recycled fibers use between 50% – 100% less virgin polyester. Since polyester is derived from oil, recycling garments helps reduce consumption of fossil fuels and helps decrease U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
Patagonia and TEIJIN are hoping to develop new technologies so that even more different types of garments can be broken down and recycled. We look forward to hearing about it, and until then, we tip our hats to Patagonia.
More information on the Common Threads Program can be found at http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/environmentalism