Patagonia announced that it is “transitioning away” from adding corporate logos to its products.
The company has long been a popular choice for high-end corporate apparel. The famous mountain logo is synonymous with a certain level of quality and brand-name recognition.
But it’s also been one of the most discerning brands when it comes to partnerships. Previously, Patagonia said it would be more careful with corporate partners, looking to get away from its vest being the uniform for certain industries, notably FinTech.
In this instance, Patagonia said that it has more to do with limiting waste.
“What we’ve learned is that adding an additional non-removable logo reduces the lifespan of a garment, often by a lot, for trivial reasons,” Patagonia said in an update posted to its website. “People change jobs, and the extra logo makes for an awkward re-gift. People tend not to pass logo’d gear down to their kids, and not everyone wants to be an advertisement on weekends, even if they’re proud to go into work on weekdays. The result? Perfectly good gear ends up forgotten in the closet—or worse, gets tossed in the trash.”
This stance is, unfortunately, not new to anyone in the promotional products industry. The perception that branded products are destined for a short lifespan before landfill retirement is something that the industry has been fighting for a long time. Programs like SwagCycle are actively working to combat the issue and offer solutions, and the industry has come a long way in emphasizing sustainability and quality over one-off items.
Patagonia will still be available in the promo channel through supplier Driving Impressions, who said in an email to customers this week that, beginning May 1, “orders must remain blank and ship to your address or directly to your customer.”
Driving Impressions also said that orders will be accepted “on a per-order basis” as inventory permits, and that Patagonia is still “reviewing various non-permanent branding options.”
Patagonia hinted at those possibilities in the closing lines of its statement, inviting customers to “discuss other ideas for bringing Patagonia items to your team.”
