Patagonia Introduces Fair Trade Certified Apparel

In May, the outdoor apparel and gear company Patagonia announced it would sell Fair Trade clothing! The new Fair Trade line features 10 women’s sportswear items including hoodies, tank tops, and yoga pants. By Spring 2015, Patagonia plans to add an additional 33 clothing items and to also begin using Fair Trade Certified cotton. This step makes Patagonia one of the first major clothing companies to join the Fair Trade cause.

“Offering Fair Trade products is an important new tool for us to help ensure fair wages and workplace safety for the workers in the supply chain who sew Patagonia clothes," says Cara Chacon, Director of Social and Environmental Responsibility for Patagonia. “We are also empowering the people purchasing our products. This effort is part of a larger strategy to raise awareness with our customers on how they can make a difference in the world with their purchasing decisions.”

According to Patagonia’s website, the money from the Fair Trade clothing sales will go into a special account for the factory workers in India who produce the clothing. These workers then vote to decide how best to use this money to serve their community. The funds can create scholarships, help build a school, or be invested in another developmental project. Workers can also vote to use the funds as a cash bonus, which may be worth an entire month’s wages.

To learn more, visit Patagonia’s website and Fair Trade USA.