Outdoor gear and apparel company, Patagonia, Inc., in partnership with Japanese fabric manufacturer, Teijin, has launched a recycling programme the ‘Common Threads Recycling Programme’, through which Patagonia customers

are asked to return their worn-out Capilene baselayers to Patagonia. These will then be recycled into new Capilene baselayers.

According to Patagnia, research has shown that the environmental impact of using worn-out baselayers to make new polyester fibre is significantly lower than making the same fibre from virgin materials. Furthermore, making new polyester fibre from used garments is set to reduce energy cost by 76% and CO₂ emissions by 71%.

"Our goal is to take responsibility for every product we make. This includes responsibility for the fibres a garment is made of, as well as what happens to a product at the end of its useful life. Garment recycling is simply our first step towards a truly environmentally sound process," explained Michael Crooke, president and CEO of Patagonia.

The programme will begin on September 12, 2005, when customers can return used Capilene baselayers to Patagonia, via mail or at any of Patagonia’s retail stores nationwide. These baselayers will then be transported to Teijin's recycling facilities in Japan, where they will be broken down and made into new Capilene garments using Teijin's EcoCircle fibre-to-fibre recycling system.