In 1991 Patagonia commissioned an environmental impact study on the four major fibres they used in their products. They expected the synthetic, petroleum-based materials to be the worst, but were surprised to learn that conventionally grown 100% cotton, which they had always thought of as a "natural" product, was just as bad as the rest of them and was in fact one of the most chemically dependent crops in the world.
Patagonia learnt that very little is pure or natural about cotton when it is grown conventionally. A whole 10% of all agricultural chemicals in the United States are used to produce cotton and 25% of the world’s insecticides are for the same purpose – a disturbing fact. In the USA one-third of a pound of chemicals is needed just to grow enough conventional cotton for a regular T-shirt….and at the time the USA wasn’t even the largest producer.
Research showed and still shows that extensive and intensive use of synthetic fertilizers, soil additives, defoliants (chemicals to remove leaf to make harvesting easier) and pesticides wreak terrible havoc on soil, ground water, air and many, many living things – including workers and communities around the areas where cotton is grown. Since many of the chemicals were originally formulated as nerve gases it is no surprise that when spraying occurs, health and environmental problems follow.
Patagonia considered this an outrageous cost to pay for the battle against bugs and after serious deliberation (considering that cotton products constituted 20% of their business at the time) they made the switch in 1996 to sourcing organically grown cotton for their entire sportswear/lifestyle line. They offered all their information and discoveries to other apparel firms like Marks & Spencer, Timberland and Nike as they knew they weren't large enough to sustain organic farming by themselves and they didn't want to make their use of organics a selling point. Ideally, Patagonia hope the entire industry will switch over just because it's the right thing to do; as David Brower put it, “there is no business to be done on a dead planet.”
Growing cotton with organic methods supports biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. It is usually rain-fed, not irrigated, so it uses a lot less water. However it takes more time, requires more knowledge and skill and for now, costs more. But it's worth it. It is a fact though that even when cotton is grown without toxic chemicals, it cannot be grown year after year without permanently depleting the soil and the water required is still vast although less than conventional methods. When a cotton garment is worn out, it is usually thrown away and so Patagonia is today concentrating on making products that ‘close the loop’ – that is clothing that can be infinitely recycled into the same or similar products when they’re worn out. At Countryside Ski & Climb we are supporting Patagonia’s Common Threads Initiative as a part of this effort.