Made in a Fair Trade Certified ™ Factory
A first step toward a supply chain with a living wage.
Apparel workers are among the lowest-paid people in the world. For Patagonia, Fair Trade certification is our first step on the path toward ensuring living wages in our supply chain. We don’t own any of the factories that make our products, so we have limited control over how much workers receive. That’s why we partnered with Fair Trade USA in 2014: to help us provide workers with tangible benefits that improve their lives. We’ve been making clothes in Fair Trade Certified ™ factories ever since, meaning we pay a premium for every Patagonia item that carries the Fair Trade label. That extra money goes directly to the workers at the factory, and they decide how to spend it. This is not a top-down program to be allocated by management. Rather, each factory has a democratically elected, worker-run Fair Trade Premium Committee that allocates funds in ways that most empower their own communities. Workers have chosen to use the premiums to fund community projects, like health-care programs or a child-care center; to purchase products they otherwise couldn’t afford, like a laptop computer or stove; or to take as a cash bonus. These committees also give workers a collective voice and encourage dialogue with management, allowing them to express their concerns more effectively. The program’s benefits extend beyond premiums; it also ensures those making products in a Fair Trade Certified factory work in a safe space and that suppliers meet strict standards for protecting the environment in which they and their workers live. Today, we are proud to offer more styles made in a Fair Trade Certified factory than any other apparel brand and to be adding new Fair Trade styles every season.
Over 75,000 10
Percentage of Patagonia product styles made in a Fair Trade Certified ™ factory, as of Fall 2023. Over 85%
Number of workers supported by our Fair Trade program around the globe.
Number of Patagonia products made in a Fair Trade Certified ™ factory in 2014, our first year with the program.
Artisans spin cotton yarn that will be used to make khadi. This workshop in Gujarat, India, is operated by Udyog Bharti, a khadi cooperative established by the Indian government to support and sustain this traditional craft. Sara Otto
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