Patagonia Women's Radalie Parka

Recycled Nylon: Although Patagonia have been using recycled polyester in their garments for 20 years, for some reason locked deep in polymer chemistry, nylon is more difficult to recycle than polyester. After years of research, development, and testing, they're finally finding some recycled nylon fibres that are suitable for apparel. Some of the recycled nylon they use comes from post-industrial waste fibre, yarn collected from a spinning factory, and waste from the weaving mills that can be processed into reusable nylon fibre. They're diligently searching for a success story with recycled nylon. The challenge lies ahead of them, and they're committed to discovering the best methods to recycle nylon fibre, but it appears this evolution will take many years.

bluesign® approved: The bluesign® system is the solution for a sustainable textile production. It eliminates harmful substances right from the beginning of the manufacturing process and sets and controls standards for an environmentally friendly and safe production. This not only ensures that the final textile product meets very stringent consumer safety requirements worldwide but also provides you confidence you'll acquire a sustainable product. Those operating sustainably - meaning conserving resources and reducing the environmental impact to a minimum - also act responsibly and innovatively. Wanting to produce sustainable goods though involves a detailed examination of all materials and processes used as well as the impact of the production on the environment. Only this holistic observation, which starts well before the actual production, will guarantee a final product that is harmless to human beings and the environment. The standard covers 5 principles:

• Resource productivity: defines the ecological and economical goal to produce textile products of maximum quality and added value, using a minimum amount of resources as well as causing the least possible environmental impact.
• Air emission: air emissions need to comply with strictly controlled emission limits along the entire production chain. Optimising the energy flow as well as using low-emission components reduces the CO2 load, implicating active climate protection.
• Occupational health and safety: the health and safety of employees in the textile industry has to be safeguarded by strict guidelines. Weak points occurring locally must be detected. In accordance with the risk potential of the deployed chemical substances, corresponding occupational safety measures are mandatory.
• Water emission: control aims at feeding back purified water into the natural cycle and causing the least possible pollution of rivers, lakes and seas. This can be achieved by the use of ecologically harmless components as well as by optimising production and wastewater treatment processes.
• Consumer safety: includes not only the mandate for high-quality textile products without health risks, but also the assurance that all of the principles of sustainability are consistently implemented during the production process.

Fair Trade Certified™: Patagonia® pay a premium for every Fair Trade Certified item that carries their label. That extra money goes directly to the workers at the factory, and they decide how to spend it. The program also promotes worker health and safety and social and environmental compliance, and encourages dialog between workers and management.