Patagonia has published their first ever “Work in Progress” report which is a summary of the impact of the company on the environment. It is a transparent look, sharing the successes and the shortfalls to hold the company accountable for its actions.
Things that have gone well include:
- Eliminating PFAS (forever chemicals) from new product lines
- Significantly increasing the use of “preferred materials” (i.e. lower-impact or recycled materials) and as a result Patagonia has nearly eliminated virgin synthetic fibre (from petroleum) in many of its products — a stated goal to reach by end of 2025
- 98% of global, company-owned/operated offices and facilities are powered by renewable electricity
In the report, Patagonia was clear about which goals they did not meet:
- Despite aiming for a 10% annual emissions reduction (to reach net-zero by 2040), Patagonia’s greenhouse-gas emissions increased by 2% in FY2025 due to products (backpacks, duffel bags) that are made from more carbon-intensive materials
- To source 50% of synthetic materials from “secondary waste” (e.g. post-consumer textile waste, recycled fishing nets) by 2025 ended up at only ~6%
- The company failed to hit its 2025 goal of sourcing 100% of materials from “preferred” sources; it reached around 84% instead
Patagonia is continuing to figure out the path to meet these goals while also shifting away from offsets to make real changes in their supply chain. Rather than “offsetting” emissions (e.g. buying carbon credits), Patagonia wants to focus on reducing emissions at the source through using recycled materials and having cleaner supply-chain practices.
The report goes beyond looking at their products and environmental impact. It also details how they support workers, environmental nonprofits and are building a conservation mindset.
Yves Choinard, Patagonia founder, acknowledged that “Patagonia is not perfect by any means. We do not have all the answers, but the fear of getting things wrong in the process cannot stop us from trying to get things right in the end.”
You can read the full report here.