Yvon throws the Gauntlet

Last year about this time, I attended the Textile Exchange annual symposium in NYC, where Yvon Chouinard keynoted the event with a bold proclamation... he would market Patagonia products going forward with a new message: 'DON"T BUY THIS UNLESS YOU REALLY NEED IT'.  Well he has made good on his word... this ad (running in the NY TIMES) is the latest environmental gauntlet thrown to raise the bar across the industry.

 

At the TE event in 2010, Yvon also made a few key observations on his 'Most Reluctant Businessman In The World' quest... (does he drink Dos Equis?) one that every time there was a problem to solve in the business, the solution was to Increase The Quality.   A second axiom came in a dour message about Sustainability; basically he said there isn't such a thing and we should stop pretending there is.  Maybe more delicately put, it's a direction, but not a destination.  This address was to a crowd with some of the most thoughtful business leaders in the global supply chain, including design and sourcing executives from Nike, TNF, and many other fashion and non-outdoor brands. 

In any case this latest statement by one of the industry's iconic leaders comes at an auspicious time when it is difficult for leaders in business and government to stay focused on an environmental agenda. 

So what do you think? 

Comments

[doug hoschek]

The latest don't buy this jacket promotion is so far from reality and any point to follow it can only be thought of as silly.
Patagonia once only did make fleece as shown in that jacket, I know because the owner of Malden Mills and myself created the fabric and sold it to Patagonia.
Yes its true they didn't make down, water proof breathables or hundreds more fiber/fabric combinations as they do today.
So what happened to that stand alone one jacket fleece Patagonia company?
It has followed the catastrophic water pollution trail to Asia and China like everyone else. Complete with totally ignoring the USA EPA regulations that made that one stand alone fleece jacket in the NY Times ad. For the record the second Patagonia outerwear jacket was a shelled fleece full zip front copied from a decades old style called the McGregor antifreeze jacket from the 1960's. For more of this google my new book Polar Pollution under my name Doug Hoschek on Amazon. The site allows you to read from the book before you purchase it. I'll leave that follow up to you so that you can discover as I did the horrible water pollution and death that has been covering innocent people in China since things went beyond that one fleece jacket shown in the newest N.Y. Times ad from Patagonia.

[Anthony Mazzenga]

As we begin to see signs of economic recovery, America needs a transformation unlike any other
in its history. We can’t miss the role that Textile manufacturing should play in this transformation.

Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have the water, materials and
resources to protect human health and our environment.

Chounard's "Sustainabilty" comment is worrisome especially viewed from his position; often described as the moral voice of the outdoor industry. If we all were to stop pretending that there is no such thing as Sustainability the effort to build toward the ideal would become dead.
To limit the damage of disregard of our actions for a healthier environment by not believing in the ideal of sustainability is to give credence that it is never possible at all.
After Love Canal, the United States took action to protect our waterways. Today, for those that still manufacture textiles in America and apparel makers that still use American made fabrics understand that toxic and harmful substances will not be present in the fabrics they use to make their garments.
Textile manufacturing consumes enormous amounts of water and without the safeguards we have we would certainly have had the problems that are present today in China.
When large apparel brands and retailers moved from American shores to cheaper labor, they also
escaped the cost of environmental regulations; there was a total disregard of the ideal of Sustainability.
Is it no wonder that the hope of achieving the necessity of Sustainability is pronounced nonsense?
300,000,000 people in China are without potable drinking water. Textile manufacturing is the largest
consumer of water. The devastation has already happened and Greenpeace International's appeal to the
largest apparel brands to join them in their Detox program to reverse the damage has already garnered
some support and a promise by some to be compliant by the year 2020.
Textiles made in America today remain committed to production methods that do not contain toxic or harmful
substances. They are still creating processes that reduce water uses in coloring fabrics. Sustainability is
not forgotten and we can still be hopeful that we can get further to achieving the ideal.
American consumers are realizing the important advantages of Made in America garments made of made in America fabrics.

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For the record the second Patagonia outerwear jacket was a shelled fleece full zip front copied from a decades old style called the McGregor antifreeze jacket from the 1960's.

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Patagonia travels the globe in search of the best materials for our clothing, accessories and luggage. When the best isn’t good enough to meet the need we work closely with our suppliers to develop outstanding new fabrics.

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