Patagonia and Eastman Recycle 8,000 Lbs of Textile Waste
Patagonia has stitched together a fiber-to-fiber recycling partnership with Eastman to create sustainable fibers from unusable pre- and post-consumer textile waste.
Eastman, which manufacturers Naia products, has created proprietary technology for molecular recycling processes.
More from Sourcing Journal
In the case of this particular partnership, the Kingsport, Tenn.-based company has already handled about 8,000 pounds worth of waste from Patagonia. A spokesperson for the outerwear company told Sourcing Journal it collected that waste over the course of a year.
The recycling process
Both companies noted that Eastman’s infrastructure cannot yet recycle all of the products. The company only accepts 100 percent polyester clean from buttons, zippers and other non-fabric components.
For Patagonia, that makes the process “costly and laborious,” since it has to remove trims and other components that could inhibit shredding, according to its Post-Consumer Recycling Strategy and Upcycling Policy.
Eastman takes in the sorted, deconstructed waste, which it shreds then melts to pellets. Those pellets are then pulverized into powder, which gets processed through a carbon-renewal technology process to convert the material back to its basic molecules, which is then combined with wood pulp to form cellulose acetate flakes. The flakes get turned into liquid acetate, which ultimately is spun into fibers, leaving the acetate behind to be recycled for later use.
Carolina Sister Cohn, global marketing lead for Eastman, said the process is unique to other fiber-to-fiber textile recycling solutions on the market.
“Eastman’s solution stands out for its molecular recycling technology, which breaks waste down into molecular building blocks, assuring end materials are indistinguishable from those made from virgin fossil sources in quality, performance, or appearance,” she said.
TüV Austria, a testing and certification company, has certified that Naia Renew, the fiber that results from the process is both biodegradable and compostable. The product also received Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification in December 2023.
Cohn said it took several months to fully process Patagonia’s textile waste.
To recycle, to repair or to reuse?
In Patagonia’s guidelines for its Worn Wear program, which the company uses to funnel post-consumer garments to the appropriate next step in its life, the company notes that, “Clothing must truly be non-functional, trashed, beyond help, dirty, stinky and without any life left to be recycled.”
The company first evaluates whether a garment can be repaired or reused, and the spokesperson said a human makes a decision about each garment.
“Each item is inspected by a Worn Wear team member to be considered for reuse,” they noted. “Our team will repair some defects, but if there are major defects an item would be put into the recycle stream.”
Fiber friends
Cohn said the partnership represents a meeting of the minds for two companies deeply entrenched in environmental-related efforts.
The two have an existing relationship. In 2022, they collaborated to release a limited run of T-shirts, which helped the material innovation company pilot the Naia Renew Enhanced Sustainability fiber. The resulting shirts were made of 60 percent recycled content and 40 percent sustainably sourced wood pulp.
Natalie Banakis, a materials innovation engineer for Patagonia, said partnering with Eastman has helped assure eco-conscious customers that their waste can be redirected for a new life.
“We know apparel waste is a major problem, and consumers increasingly want better, more sustainable solutions when their most loved clothing reaches the end of its life,” Banakis said in a statement.
Both companies expressed their excitement for future partnership. Cohn said in order to truly prove textile recycling can be a viable solution for wide swaths of the fashion and apparel industries, it will need to partner with other ambitious brands in the next several years.
“Patagonia’s mission is to save [our] home planet, and Eastman is committed to finding solutions that [push] forward this mission by finding solutions to the world’s greatest challenges and improving the quality of life for consumers,” Cohn said. “Having Patagonia as a partner in this endeavor is highly valuable, as they are widely recognized as a leader in sustainability within the industry. Their endorsement not only lends credibility to our efforts but also serves as a catalyst for driving textile recycling innovations forward.”
Solve the daily Crossword
