Patagonia is playing an active part in keeping used clothing in circulation. Send them your worn togs, and they’ll refurbish and help resell them. Or, if the clothing is beyond repair, they’ll recycle as much of it as humanly possible.

As a business idea, it may seem like a good way to reduce sales. But that’s only if you don’t understand the power of the brand…Common Threads powerfully reinforces Patagonia’s ethos and brand. If anything, it will turn loyal followers into proselytizing zealots and newbies into diehards.