CAN SQUID TENTACLES AND PINEAPPLE LEAVES SOLVE THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY'S SUSTAINABILITY PROBLEM?

APPAREL-MAKERS ARE TURNING TO EVER-MORE EXOTIC MATERIALS IN THE SEARCH FOR PLANET-FRIENDLY FIBERS. BUT WHETHER YOUR FLEECE IS MADE FROM WILDFLOWERS OR RECYCLED WATER BOTTLES, THE TRUTH MAY NOT BE AS GREEN AS YOU THINK.

- BENJAMIN TEPLER

UNTIL RECENTLY, I did not make the connection between a synthetic jacket and a barrel of crude oil. But now I know: The vast majority of polyester is a petroleum-based plastic. Fifty-seven million tons-more than any other fiber in the world-were produced in 2020 alone, according to the Textile Exchange, an international consortium of manufacturers. Few sectors are as reliant on fossil fuel-derived fabrics as the outdoor industry: Hikers need their insulation to stay warm when it's wet, rain jackets to shed water in a downpour, and backpacks to survive the rough-and-tumble without turning into Swiss cheese.

Fortunately, many outdoor enthusiasts are quicker on the uptake than I am, and are demanding that outdoor brands muster some semblance of environmental cred in order to maintain consumer loyalty. In recent years, apparel-makers-even those that didn't necessarily identify as "eco-friendly outdoor brands" – have shifted to products made from recycled fishing nets, PFC-free water repellents, and biodegradable jackets. Patagonia, the original fleece king, now makes 87 percent of its polyester from repurposed plastic bottles.

"We are a brand that famously started from polyester fleece," says Nicholas Hartley, Patagonia's fleece expert. "It would be really detrimental for us to leave that space and say, 'Hey, it has petroleum in it, it's not the best thing.' We need to stay and work with the industry to make it better."