SOURCING SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS FOR PATAGONIA

When Oded Oslander started as raw materials manager at Patagonia in April 2022, global shortages and slowdowns brought about by the pandemic were still causing massive headaches. The elastic waistbands needed for one particular pant were not available, and any delays in production threatened to cut into the bottom line. Oslander, who had worked in sourcing for Jones New York, Nine West, and Anne Klein, asked the supplier for a similar material. But his supervisor said no to the substitution. Patagonia only buys fabrics that meet the company’s rigorous social, environmental, and quality standards. Better to delay the product than to sacrifice these important values.

“At that moment, it clicked for me,” Oslander says. “I understood there was more than the bottom line.”

Oded Oslander. Photo by Anna Herbst.

A separate team at Patagonia works with factories and mills to develop innovative sustainable materials like NetPlus, a plastic recycled from old fishing nets that might otherwise strangle marine life, and Yulex, a natural rubber substitute for the petroleum-based neoprene. Oslander’s team of five handles the logistics of procuring those materials in the correct quantities at the right time. He works with each mill to reserve the material and agree on a price, manages the shipment to the factory, and ensures that all deadlines are met. A few times a year, he visits suppliers, mostly in Asia, to handle more complex discussions.

“We have a long-lasting relationship with our suppliers,” he says. “They understand our goals and help us to meet them.”