Outdoor gear

Outdoor companies like The North Face and Patagonia have come out vociferously against causes championed by the Trump administration and the Koch network, such as the development of oil and gas drilling on public lands. Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard has condemned the Kochs for pouring “tens of millions of dollars into fighting climate reform”. But many of these brands’ customers may be surprised to learn that by buying outdoor gear, they’re also supporting the Koch brothers.

Koch Industries owns a company called Invista that makes several synthetic fibers widely used by common brands, especially in the outdoor industry. One of these is Cordura, a highly durable fabric used in backpacks and clothing. Almost all the major outdoor gear companies list Cordura on their web sites as a component material in certain of their products, including The North Face, Patagonia, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, Timbuk2 and La Sportiva.

“We never would compromise our environmental or social standards and stand firm behind our sourcing principles,” said Patagonia spokesperson Corley Kenna. “But sometimes, we end up doing business with companies whose ownership has values very different from our own. We can only hope to inspire them to join us in putting the planet and people ahead of short-term profit.”

Other Koch fabrics include Lycra (the elastic fiber commonly used in yoga pants and leggings) and Coolmax (used in socks, jeans, shirts, sweaters, hats and other products, to wick moisture); both of these are part of a unit in the process of being sold to a Chinese company – but for now they remain Koch.