Patagonia

The story of our switch to organic cotton starts with a bout of headaches and a trip to the lunar landscape of the San Joaquin Valley’s conventional cotton fields.

Perfluorinated chemicals, or PFAS, made for great waterproofing but are also a lasting, pervasive threat to our health. That’s why we spent nearly 15 years finding a way to make our gear without them that didn't compromise performance. For Spring 2025 and beyond, all our new styles are made without intentionally added PFAS.

Two non-profit groups, Fibershed and The Growing Warriors Project, are working to reintroduce industrial hemp into Kentucky—and eventually U.S. agriculture.

Tough and uncertain, organic cotton farming accounts for less than 1 percent of US cotton production. For this family, that’s why it’s a calling.

Our best ideas come from being in the field. But sometimes simple problems inspire complex solutions.