Patagonia encourages brands to follow its lead on traceable down
Outdoor brand Patagonia is moving its entire collection of down-insulated products to non force-fed, non live-plucked down following a six-year project which has culminated in it producing its own standard.
Starting with its autumn/winter 2014 collection, all down will be checked using a holistic traceability audit that includes physical inspection of the entire supply chain, from farm to factory, performed by an independent, third-party traceability expert.
“Affidavits from suppliers are commonly accepted with minimal verification. It is also common practice to certify only parts of the supply chain without linking all entities that handle the down,” said Wendy Savage, social and environmental responsibility manager for Patagonia.
“Patagonia’s traceability programme is hands-on every step of the way. We begin our audit at the parent farm, where the eggs are laid, and follow it all the way to the garment factory, where the down is placed in our garments. We need to understand every single part of the supply chain - otherwise we can’t truly feel comfortable claiming the down as traceable.”
The company says it hopes to inspire other companies to look closely at their own down supply chains and use the model now established by Patagonia for down traceability.
