What does a bikini have to do?
Back when we were exclusively making climbing gear, quality was a primary consideration because climbers trusted our gear with their lives. But when we started sewing clothing we came across end-use considerations that went beyond hammering out a piton. We brought with us an industrial design and engineering focus. Which is why our first shorts were so stiff they stood up to granite, but also stood up on their own, and we were field-testing unproven materials, like polyester pile on rime-ice walls in Scotland and cotton rugby shirts on big walls in Yosemite.
We applied the same principles and questions asked in industrial design: is it useful, aesthetically pleasing, long-lasting? For example, if we design a bikini, we start with the same questions that we ask if we’re making an alpine climbing jacket. What does a bikini have to do? (Stay on.) But then how do we also make it durable, timeless, aesthetically pleasing?
The more we learned about making clothing the more we had to figure out. While we promoted an environmental ethos in our early climbing philosophy, it wasn’t until we got a closer look at our clothing supply chain that we realised “causing no unnecessary harm” also applied to how our clothing was made. We needed to build a scoring system to get everyone on the same page as the company grew, and it had to include further reducing the environmental impact of our clothing.
In 2005, we designed an informal check against outlined attributes of what “quality” means to us (based on our Design Philosophy). Our first, and more formalised product scorecard was implemented in 2015. It was akin to an algorithm, a set of rules that solve a stated problem. The desired outcome was not based on profitability; it was based on designing an objective measurement of quality. While the methodology has become more refined over the years (we recently added “repairable” to the scoring), the scorecard criteria hasn’t changed much since then.
We start with the ultimate score, a “10,” and deduct points when a product falls short in any of the categories. Here’s what a scorecard list looks like today:
1. Is it functional?
2. Is it multifunctional?
3. Is it durable?
4. Does it cause any unnecessary harm?
5. Is it repairable?
6. Does it have aesthetic appeal?
7. Does it fit?
8. Is it easy to care for?
9. Is it globally relevant?
10. Is the product and line simple?
Measuring the quality and environmental impact of each product is a multiteam effort. One stop along the way is within our 30-person Materials Innovation & Development (MID) department. Steph Karba, an environmental researcher on our Product Responsibility team, which operates within MID, is one of several employees who are tasked with measuring and managing the environmental impact of our products.
Karba looks at three key components to determine her area of scoring (#4: “no unnecessary harm”): the carbon intensity of a product, the percentage of “preferred materials” (e.g., organic cotton or recycled inputs) and the incorporation of environmental innovations. She uses computer modeling to come up with objective scoring.
“Up until a couple of years ago we did all of the scoring manually so we only had capacity to look at new and redesigned products,” says Karba. “Now with computer modeling, which includes more equations and analytics, we can assess 100 percent of the line, and with way more objectivity than the original product scoring system.”
Other members on the team look at things like the circular economy and recycling potential, and opportunities to use raw materials grown using Regenerative Organic practices that help sequester carbon in the soil. For the carbon intensity portion of the scoring, the Product Responsibility team relies on life-cycle assessments that they’ve commissioned from researchers, as well as tools from the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the apparel industry’s leading alliance for sustainable production.
Brett Vanderblock, a data scientist on the team, weaves life-cycle analysis and raw material data together in a way that product designers, material developers and anyone involved in the scoring process can access. With the data visualisations and the guidance from the Product Responsibility team, product designers are able to see where impact is coming from and how to reduce it for the next season, ultimately getting each product closer to a “10.”
To date, the average Patagonia product score is 8.87, with the highest being 9.64—obtained by the Men’s Long-Sleeved Work Pocket T-Shirt—a simple design made from a blend of industrial hemp and organic cotton, and Fair Trade Certified™ sewn. The lowest-scoring product is 7.19. Lower-scoring products usually don’t hold a strong position in the “no unnecessary harm” category, are overly complicated and/or impossible to repair. Any products below an 8 on the scorecard are either dropped or pushed out to a new season until they can be improved.