Patagonia joins sustainable packaging initiative to safeguard endangered forests

06 Sep 2024 --- Patagonia, a designer of outdoor clothing and gear, has joined Pack4Good, a sustainable packaging initiative from Canopy, a non-profit organization dedicated to forest conservation, species protection and environment protection. This move builds on Patagonia’s partnership with Canopy, which dates back to 2013 and focuses on eliminating the destruction of ancient and endangered forests linked to viscose textile production.

Patagonia’s latest initiative is focusing on developing Next Generation (Next Gen) packaging solutions derived from sustainable sources such as agricultural waste. The company strives to assure its customers that none of its packaging comes at the expense of the world’s most climate- and biodiversity-critical forests.

“Patagonia is excited to announce its partnership with Canopy’s Pack4Good initiative. As part of our goal to build the best product and constantly improve everything we do, we are taking steps to review and develop new, more-responsible packaging materials in partnership with Canopy,” says Jennifer Patrick, packaging and branding director at Patagonia.

Sustainable alternatives

Paper packaging — including delivery boxes, hang tags and shoe boxes — sometimes originates from climate-critical forests. Plantation forestry, however, according to Canopy, can cause an even greater amount of GHG emissions than the fossil fuel industry. In response, Canopy and Patagonia are prioritizing the development and use of non-tree-based materials to mitigate this impact.

Since its initial collaboration with Canopy, Patagonia has been transforming the viscose and rayon supply chain, reportedly being among the first brands to source exclusively from producers rated as “green shirt” in Canopy’s annual Hot Button Report. As part of its ongoing environmental efforts, Patagonia has adopted 100% recycled content for all its packaging and catalogs.

“We are so pleased to be welcoming Patagonia to the Pack4Good family. This commitment comes at a crucial time when the need for low-carbon alternatives to forest-based packaging is more pressing than ever,” says Nicole Rycroft, founder and executive director of Canopy.

“By supporting the scale-up of Next Gen materials, Patagonia is not only contributing to the preservation of ancient and endangered forests, it is leading the outdoor apparel sector towards a more sustainable future.”

The next chapter of Patagonia’s sustainability journey will see the company working with Canopy to develop and scale Next Gen packaging solutions. These innovative materials — sourced from agricultural waste and non-forest alternatives — promise a reduction in dependence on primary forest resources.

The Pack4Good initiative now boasts 445 participating brands with a collective annual revenue around US$249 billion.

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