Patagonia and fast-fashion have more factories in common than you can imagine

Often perceived as an exemplary brand for people and the planet, Patagonia surprises with some of its subcontracting factories, pinned by the survey platform Follow The Money as equal to those of fast-fashion.

For a long time, Patagonia seemed to be an exception in a deadly fashion industry. Between his desire to rather mend clothes than sell more and more, his art of trolling committed, and its founder who has donated his company worth 3 billion to a fund for the protection of the planet.

But now the brand talks about it for a much less rosy reason. A report published on 10 June 2023 by Follow The Money (a Dutch survey platform) informs that the company produces in factories common to those used by fast-fashion.

In other words, although Patagonia wants to be ethical to the core, the textile workers to whom the brand subcontracts do not see the difference between working for it or for other labels associated in the collective imagination with the worst of the fashion industry.

Patagonia and fast-fashion would have more factories in common than we imagine

As noted FashionUnited which transmits the report, Patagonia has some of its parts produced at the Sri Lankan Regal Image factory, where, for example, Primark garments are also designed. The factory manager testifies to Follow The Money that he doesn’t see any difference between working for Patagonia or for fast fashion brands.

Indeed, Patagonia works with 61 factories, of which 2 are in the United States, 1 in Portugal, and the rest in low-wage countries, such as Vietnam or Sri Lanka. To guarantee the working conditions of its textile workers, the brand has signed a code of conduct (no child or forced labour, no harassment, overtime, no working week exceeding 60 hours). To ensure compliance with this code of conduct, Patagonia inspects the factory once a year, while 2 other NGOs carry out other checks throughout the year.

“Continue to participate in shared production facilities”

However, according to the Follow The Money report, dozens of violations have been observed. Starting with working days which can last until 5pm, moving up to weeks at 80am. When asked by Follow The Money on the matter, Patagonia replied that producing in the same factories as other brands allowed them to remain competitive, and to try to improve things from within:

“We are a fairly small player in the apparel industry. That’s why we’re always looking for ways to increase our impact and raise industry standards at every level. For this, it is essential to continue to participate in shared production facilities. »