Recycle Your Fleece
Posted on July 12, 2007 by
Do you have an old, worn out fleece in your closet? Patagonia recycles Polartec fleece from any manufacturer and uses the material to make new clothes.
Research shows that the environmental impact of using worn-out clothing to make new polyester fiber is significantly lower than making that same fiber from virgin materials derived from petroleum. By diverting worn-out garments from landfills, we reduce solid waste. Diverting them from incinerators results in an energy savings of 76% and a CO2 emissions [greenhouse gas] reduction of 71%. Garments made with recycled fibers use 50-100% less virgin polyester, which reduces our use of oil.
Make sure your fleece is worn out and no longer wearable, (if it’s still usable, donate it), and wash it one last time. Bring it along on your next trip to your local Patagonia Retail Store or Patagonia Baselayer Dealer.
If you don’t have a Patagonia store near you, mail your fleece to Patagonia Service Center, ATTN: Common Threads Recycling Program, 8550 White Fir Street, Reno, NV 89523-8939.
When you’re in the market for new performance clothing, check out Patagonia’s line of Clothing with Recycled Content.
I have yet to wear out any fleece clothing. Is it even possible? I never thought about it, but I have some fifteen-year-old stuff that is still perfectly useful.
And have I plugged Yvon Chouinard’s (founder of Patagonia) book around here yet? “Let My People Go Surfing.” It’s good. You should check it out.
After reading this and seeing Mickey’s comment, I have to agree — I can’t think of a single fleece I’ve ever worn out. But, still good to know there are green options in getting rid of them.