Patagonia, Inc., the outdoor gear and apparel company, announced yesterday the expansion of the Common Threads Recycling Program. This revolutionary program, which initially asked customers to return worn out Capilene baselayers to Patagonia, was launched in Europe in Fall 2006. Now it has been expanded to include any Patagonia used fleeces, any used Polartec-branded fleece garments from other companies, and Patagonia cotton tee shirts. Customers may return the later to Patagonia, via mail, at any of the 4 Patagonia European retail stores, or at any of our dealers participating in this recycling program (68 in Europe). More than 50 Spring/Summer 07 company?s garments are recyclable through the newly expanded take-back recycling program (26% of the textile range) and doubles for the Fall 2007 range. With the expansion of this recycling program, Patagonia becomes the first global company to recycle its products at this scale and to also recycle competitors garments. ?With this unique take-back recycling program, our goal is to assume full responsibility for our products, as well as our competitor?s products, at the end of their useful life,? notes Patagonia president and CEO, Casey Sheahan, ?Moving forward, we hope to expand the world view of recycling beyond just cans, newspapers and bottles ? we?re aiming to make clothing a recyclable resource.? Just as Patagonia pioneered the use of recycled soda bottles in fleece and was the first company in the outdoor industry to switch to 100% organic cotton, the company aims to pave the way for others to get on the garment recycling bandwagon. Now the goal is to convince consumers to be eco-consumers by inciting them to recycle their old clothes (that are so worn out that they cannot be used anymore nor given to a charity). On a quick trip to Senora, California, Emily Harrington made an ascent of Burning Down the House, an F8c established by her coach, Justen Sjong, at the blocky basalt crag of Jailhouse. Harrington completed the route after roughly 20 attempts over eight days, finally snagging the second ascent on January 27. During a 10 day trip to Siurana and Santa Linya 13 year old Adam Ondra managed to climb five F8c+ routes!. He also onsighted two F8b+´s! On the 9th of February Ice Climbing World Champion Ines Papert repeated “Law and Order”, Markus Bendler´s M13 at the Diebsöfen in Austria. This is the first-ever M13 female ascent. On February 19 Antoine Vandeputte climbed the sitting start to Kheops Cuvier Rempart, Fontainebleau grading it ´about´ Font8C. Source: Kairn
