Traceable Down Standard (TDS)
Also known as: TDS, Patagonia Traceable Down
Precursor to RDS developed by Patagonia with stricter traceability and animal-welfare requirements — today a niche label with very high credibility.
Description
The Traceable Down Standard (TDS) was developed in 2014 by outdoor brand Patagonia in response to a PETA investigation that had exposed live plucking in parts of the supply chain. It is regarded as the strictest down standard in the industry and served as the conceptual blueprint for the later Responsible Down Standard (RDS).
TDS requires full traceability of every single down delivery back to the grand-parent farm — not only to the fattening farm as RDS does. Live plucking and force-feeding are excluded; animal welfare during transport, in parent stock and chicks is also audited. Only a few companies use TDS because the requirements exceed those of RDS and certification is correspondingly cost- and documentation-intensive. Patagonia has been using TDS for all down products since the autumn 2014 collection.
Properties
| Issued by | Patagonia (USA) with NSF International, since 2014 |
|---|---|
| Traceability | Down to grand-parent farm (stricter than RDS) |
| Prohibitions | Live plucking, force-feeding |
| Adoption | Very narrow — mainly Patagonia collections |
Related product categories
Sources & references
1- Patagonia - Traceable Down eu.patagonia.com https://eu.patagonia.com/de/de/our-footprint/traceable-down.html
