In 1994, Patagonia made a commitment to take their cotton organic by 1996. They did it in 18 months. We saw this and knew it was possible for TS. So, we pulled out all the stops and did it in 2.5 years. What does being radically transparent matter if it’s not in radical pursuit of the responsible choice?

For obvious reasons, one of the very first goals we set for ourselves—alongside the development and use of upcycled and recycled fibers as seen in our Heavy Bag range—was to shift away from conventionally grown cotton and move towards organic. We won’t claim it’s been easy, but we are proud to report that, in retrospect, we made this transition at a pretty respectable clip. By the end of 2018, a year after we started on this journey, more than half of the cotton we used was organic. At the end of last year, we reached 90%. And as of right now, we’re sitting at 99%. If you’re asking yourself why we don’t just knock out that last 1% while we’re at it—well, there are a small handful of products that are made from deadstock—that is, recycled—textiles that use conventional cotton. Don’t worry, we’re working on it.

But the question remains: is organic cotton really that much better than the conventionally grown stuff? Well, the answer, resoundingly, is yes! When you buy products made from organic cotton, you’re getting all of the benefits of the fiber—its comfort, breathability, and easy maintenance—with a dramatically diminished environmental impact. We’ll break it down for you:

Organic farms typically rely on rainwater rather than invasive and wasteful irrigation, thereby saving literally billions of liters of water every year. We’re talking tens of thousands of Olympic-sized pools—the numbers are truly staggering. Organic cotton uses 91% less water than conventional cotton overall, which is just one of the reasons we’re so passionate about using it.

Organic cotton is grown without toxic chemicals and pesticides. This is important, because not only do these chemicals contaminate the soil, air, and water—toxic agricultural runoff has been identified as one cause for “dead zones” in our oceans—they’re also extremely harmful and even lethal to animals, plantlife, and people. When you buy organic cotton products, you’re doing your part to discourage the reckless use of these chemicals and pesticides.

Organic cotton produces significantly less CO2 than conventionally grown cotton—by one estimate, about 46% less—and requires between 200 and 300 million fewer kilowatts of electricity per year to cultivate.

Certified organic products are held to a high standard when it comes to ethical conditions for workers, which translates to regulated wages and hours and strict rules against child labor. Ours comes from farms in the eastern provinces of Shanxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Henan Provinces—none from Xinjiang.