At last, the clothing that allows us to enjoy the great outdoors in comfort and style is being made with the Earth in mind. It only seems natural that these companies should make eco-friendly products, but apparently it took some time and thought to come up with the idea. High-tech performance fabrics such as Gore-Tex are made with PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene, better known as Teflon), like that used in non-stick pans, which is toxic to the environment and likely carcinogenic to human beings. However, many companies are starting to behave better. Patagonia makes a recycled polyester wetsuit, for example, which is insulated with organic merino wool and protected by PVC-free kneepads. More cotton clothing is being made from organic cotton, and polyester and synthetic fabrics from recycled fibre. Synthetics used to be made from recycled plastic pop bottles, but it turns out to be far more energy-efficient to start with something that's already in fibre form. You can take your worn-out capilene clothing back to Patagonia stores, and they will recycle it to make new capilene. Often used as a baselayer, capilene is a type of fabric that wicks sweat away from your body, dries quickly, and keeps you warm. Patagonia now treats this fabric with an amino acid chain that kills bacteria, keeping away odours without being toxic to humans. Gear swap days also happen on a regular basis at Mountain Equipment Co-op stores across Canada, or you can check out their online swap from home. It's cheaper than buying new equipment, you can make money from selling your old stuff, and everything gets re-used. Gore-Tex is still made of Teflon, for the moment. However, this video outlines how Patagonia hopes eventually to make all of their clothing organic, recycled, and generally green.

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