Nothing helps protect you from a winter chill quite like fleece. Fleece jackets, vests, pants, socks and blankets are a great way to stay warm without bulking up or turning on the heat. Our favorite fleece is made by Patagonia, which is one heck of an awesome company, environmentally speaking.

Patagonia is a $275 million a year, privately owned company based in Ventura, California. In addition to fleece apparel, they develop and market clothing and gear for a wide range of outdoor sports, travel and everyday wear. They are best known for innovative designs, quality products and a strong environmental conscience. Patagonia’s Mission Statement is: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” They use environmentally sensitive materials (organic cotton, recycled and recyclable polyester, and hemp among them) and both sponsor and participate in a host of environmental initiatives that range from promoting wildlife corridors to combating genetic engineering. To date, they have given over $29 million in grants to grassroots environmental organizations. They’re even working to create a new National Park!

Patagonia’s great fleece products are our favorite, and they’ve been made from post consumer recycled plastic soda bottles since 1993. Over the course of 13 years, they’ve saved more than 86 million soda bottles from the trash heap! In addition to reclaimed plastic, the fleece is also made from unusable second quality fabrics and worn out garments made into polyester fibers. Eco-fleece is wonderfully soft and provides superior warmth with minimal weight, while wicking away moisture. Think that Patagonia fleece couldn’t get any better? When your old polar-fleece gets too worn to wear, they’ll recycle it! Patagonia recycles many of their own products, and polar fleece from other companies as well. Once you’ve recycled your old piece of fleece, you can pick up an environmentally friendly replacement to keep you snug as a bug in a rug. Check out their incredibly dense website for more information on Patagonia’s products, environmental programs and even videos tracking the life of your Patagonia fleece from the cradle to the grave.