bluesign® Approved Fabric
Patagonia has worked with bluesign technologies since 2000 to evaluate and reduce resource consumption in our materials supply chain, and to assist us with managing the chemicals, dyes and finishes used in the process. bluesign technologies, based in Switzerland, works at each step in the textile supply chain to approve chemicals, processes, materials, and products that are safe for the environment, safe for workers, and safe for the end customers.
In 2007, Patagonia became the first brand to officially join the network of bluesign® system partners.
Any fabric you see that’s bluesign® approved offers the highest level of consumer safety by employing methods and materials in their manufacture that conserve resources and minimize impacts on people and the environment.
Insulation
Regulator® fleece insulation provides phenomenal compressibility, light weight warmth, and moisture transport, whether used alone or as part of a layering system.
The lofted hollow-core fibers of Regulator fleece insulation conserve body heat while allowing body moisture to wick uninhibited. They’re also lightweight and highly compressible for packing.
Regulator Fleece Insulation provides exceptional breathability to keep you dry on the inside and while Regulator fleece provides the same amount of warmth as a much bulkier fleece, it does so with lighter, more compressible materials. Since you stay both dryer and warmer, you’re able to maintain your comfort over a wide temperature range, which results in fewer layering changes and a lighter, less bulky pack.
Odor Resistant
Polygiene® odor control permanently protects your garments from smelling like a middle school locker room. Sweat itself is odorless, but it creates the conditions that bacteria need to multiply, and some of those bacteria produce odors. Polygiene permanent odor control stops the growth of odor-causing bacteria on fabrics, so you can wear more and wash less.
Active only on the fabric surface, Polygiene permanent odor control does not interfere with perspiration or with the skin’s natural bacterial flora. Polygiene particles are more than 100 times larger than nanoparticles and therefore are too large to penetrate to the skin’s barrier. Polygiene-treated fabrics have received Medical Class 1 approval in Europe, the same class that includes bandages.
Recycled Polyester
Regulator
In 1993, we adopted fleece into our product line made from post consumer recycled (PCR) plastic soda bottles. We were the first outdoor clothing manufacturer to do so. PCR® clothing was a positive step towards a more sustainable system – one that uses fewer resources, discards less and better protects people’s health.
Today, we’re able to utilize more sources for recycled polyester and offer it on more garments such as Capilene® baselayers, shell jackets, board shorts, and fleece. We now recycle used soda bottles, unusable manufacturing waste, and worn out garments (including our own) into polyester fibers to produce many of our clothes.
Using recycled polyester lessens our dependence on petroleum as a raw material source, curbs discards and reduces toxic emissions from incinerators.