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Patagonia launches 'Footprint Chronicles'
Environmentally active apparel and footwear manufacturer Patagonia has launched a web site which allows consumers to track the route their garment has taken to get to them, so the end user can be aware of the journey and the environmental impact of the garment overall.
Under the banner 'The Footprint Chronicles', Patagonia is determined to be candid and forthright about its impact on the environment and created the site to encourage dialog with its customers who are concerned about the environment.
According to Jill Dumain, Patagonia's director of environmental programs, the research involved in developing the Chronicles has proved to actually drive major business decisions at Patagonia.
"The Chronicles revealed that transportation makes up only about 1 percent of our overall energy use," said Dumain. "Had we listened to the current media buzz touting transportation as the largest factor in energy consumption, we might have greatly misplaced our efforts by making strides to geographically shorten our supply chain - which would have massively impacted our business financially, logistically and perhaps even effected product quality - and we would only have reduced our energy savings by one per cent. Instead, we are focusing our energy on areas where we can truly make a difference - right in the heart of the manufacturing process."
Check it out at: www.patagonia.com/web/us/footprint/index.jsp
