All our virgin down is certified to help ensure the birds that supply it are not force-fed or live-plucked.

Down is feathers and clusters made from the soft under plumage of geese or ducks. To enforce robust quality-of-life requirements for the birds who supply these feathers, and especially to help protect against force-feeding and live-plucking, all virgin down that Patagonia uses is traced from parent farm to final fiber processing facility, so that the birds that supply it are protected by the Advanced Global Traceable Down Standard (Advanced Global TDS). We consider the Advanced Global TDS the strongest animal-welfare and consumer-assurance standard for the goose and duck down supply chain.

100% of the virgin down we source was certified by NSF International to meet the Advanced Global TDS and so are our down suppliers. An important part of their certification has been the onsite auditing of hundreds of parent farms (where birds are raised to produce eggs and where the highest risk for live-plucking occurs), hatcheries, raising farms and slaughterhouses to help ensure animal-welfare practices. Even though we don’t get down from birds at parent farms, we feel obligated to look out for their welfare since they are an essential part of the down supply chain.100% of the virgin down we source was certified by NSF International to meet the Advanced Global TDS and so are our down suppliers. An important part of their certification has been the onsite auditing of hundreds of parent farms (where birds are raised to produce eggs and where the highest risk for live-plucking occurs), hatcheries, raising farms and slaughterhouses to help ensure animal-welfare practices. Even though we don’t get down from birds at parent farms, we feel obligated to look out for their welfare since they are an essential part of the down supply chain.

By sharing what we’ve learned about our supply chain and exposing gaps that can put animals at risk, we hope to inspire brands, buyers and down producers to adopt higher standards and to adopt higher standards for animal welfare.