In 1996, Patagonia converted its entire sportswear line to 100% organically grown cotton. This decision followed the findings from an independent research company commissioned by Patagonia to give an environmental impact assessment of four major fibers. The company learned that oil-based polyester and nylon were big energy consumers and sources of pollution, but nowhere near that of cotton. They made a decision in the fall of 1994 to take the cotton sportswear 100% organic by 1996, giving the company eighteen months to make the switch for 66 products – and only four months to line up the fabric.
Innovation
As it happens, very little is pure or natural about cotton when it is raised conventionally. 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals in the United States are used to produce cotton, grown on just one percent of all major agricultural land. Conventional cotton crops in six California counties alone are dusted every year with 57 million pounds of chemicals. And research shows that extensive and intensive use of synthetic fertilizers, soil additives, defoliants and other substances wreak terrible havoc on soil, water, air and many, many living things.
Cotton was the biggest villain in the Patagonia line and it didn't have to be. Farmers have grown cotton organically, without pesticides, for thousands of years. Their yield is high and the quality of the cotton they grow is equal to or better than conventionally grown cotton. Their methods support biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, improve the quality of soil and often use less water. Only after World War II did the chemicals originally developed as nerve gases become available for commercial use, to eliminate the need for weeding fields by hand.
The alternative is organic cotton. Growing organically takes more time, requires more knowledge and skill, and, for now, costs more. But the "natural" fiber used in most of Patagonia's sportswear proved to be, by far, the greatest environmental evildoer of the fibers studied. 25% of all toxic pesticides used in agriculture are used in the cultivation of cotton, the resulting pollution of soil and water is horrific, and evidence of damage to the health of fieldworkers is strong, though difficult to prove.
At first Patagonia made only T-shirts with organic cotton. Then, after taking hundreds of employees on tours of the cotton fields in the San Joaquin Valley, where they smelled the selenium ponds and saw the lunar landscape of cotton fields, the company asked a critical question: How could it continue to make products that laid waste to the earth this way?
Initially they found that there simply wasn't enough organic cotton commercially available to buy through brokers. So they went directly to the few farmers who had gone back to organic methods, then to the ginners and spinners who they persuaded to clean their equipment after running what would be for them very low quantities. Next Patagonia talked to the certifiers so that all the fiber could be traced back to the bale.
Impact
Patagonia succeeded and switched 66 products in eighteen months to organic cotton. It was a lot of work, experimentation and expense, but by 1996 every Patagonia garment made of cotton was organic, and has been ever since. The move to organic cotton didn't compromise quality, rather, according to Patagonia, it improved the feel of the fabric and provoked a fundamental change in the company's attitudes about agriculture.
Patagonia is North American's largest distributor fo 100% organic cotton T-shirts. They have had a profound influence on many farmers who are now successfully weaning their land of toxins by turning to sustainable agriculture practices.
Inspiration
Patagonia's definition of quality includes a mandate for building products and working with processes that cause the least harm to the environment. They evaluate raw materials, invest in innovative technologies, rigorously police their waste and use a portion of their profits to support groups working to make a real difference. They acknowledge that the wild world they love best is disappearing. That is why Patagonia employees share a strong commitment to protecting undomesticated lands and waters. They believe in using business to inspire solutions to the environmental crisis.
The World Inquiry editorial team edited this profile from the original submission of the interviewer or other source. The views expressed do not necessarily represent Case Western Reserve University, the Weatherhead School of Management or the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit. More >>
