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Paka says it aims to source more than 90% of its fibers from natural or plant-derived materials by 2035, as it marks its 10th anniversary. Founder and CEO Kris Cody said the company’s portfolio currently contains a little over 70% such fibers; the company plans to cut synthetics and increase materials including regenerative Pima cotton and hemp.
Sustainable apparel company Paka says it aims to make more than 90% of the fibers it uses natural or plant-derived by 2035, a target that would require it to reduce synthetic materials from its current product mix. Founder and CEO Kris Cody said the company is currently a little over 70% of the way toward that materials share as it marks its 10th anniversary.
In a post on the company’s website outlining its next chapter, Cody described the 2035 goal. A separate company statement says Paka plans to lower its reliance on synthetics while increasing use of other natural and plant-based fibers, including regenerative Pima cotton and hemp. The company has not supplied a detailed timeline for reaching intermediate milestones.
Paka’s identity is closely tied to alpaca fiber from Peru, where the animals are raised by alpaqueros. But the company’s range has expanded beyond its original apparel to include items such as underwear, bras and accessories, bringing additional material requirements. The company says that product expansion is one reason its sourcing now includes fibers beyond alpaca.
The target will require changes to products already associated with the brand. Cody said even Paka’s original Hoodie is not made entirely from natural fibers: it contains 35% recycled nylon. Recycled nylon is not a natural or plant-derived fiber under the goal as described, though Paka has not specified whether it plans to replace that material in the Hoodie or how it will address performance requirements across its range.
The Challenge of Replacing Synthetics
The pledge sets a measurable direction for a company whose products depend on balancing material sourcing with function. Raising the natural and plant-based share from a little over 70% to more than 90% means changing materials across a range that includes products beyond the alpaca garments that built Paka’s identity. The company’s own example—the recycled nylon in its flagship Hoodie—shows that even a core product does not yet meet an all-natural standard.
For consumers, the target offers a way to track Paka’s stated sourcing ambitions, but it is not a report of completed change. The announcement does not establish the environmental impact of particular fiber substitutions, nor does it give a year-by-year schedule. The outcome will depend on which materials the company adopts, how it defines and measures its fiber share, and whether replacements can meet the needs of each product.
Paka also links its plans to its relationships with farmers and craftspeople in Peru. That makes the pledge relevant not only to material composition but to the company’s stated sourcing approach. Whether the planned changes maintain those relationships while expanding into other fibers will become clearer as the company provides details on products and suppliers.
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From Alpaca Roots to Broader Sourcing
Paka officially launched in 2016, following an idea Cody traced to a 2015 backpacking trip in South America. A 2022 Bloomberg report described how a sweater Cody found in Peru led him to learn about alpaca fiber and the families involved in producing it. He developed a prototype sweater with the Chamb family, according to that account.
In 2017, Paka ran a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $347,000, surpassing its initial $20,000 goal. The company later broadened its catalog, which required sourcing materials for products that do not rely only on alpaca. Paka says its product-development principles include going to the source of a fiber, selecting partners such as farmers and craftspeople, making sourcing traceable and giving back to communities involved in handmade products.
The company launched a traceability program in 2024 covering its entire product line. Paka says each product’s hangtag carries a QR code linking to the precise coordinates where its alpaca fiber is sourced. That program concerns alpaca sourcing; the company has not said whether the same location-level information will apply to the additional fibers named in its new pledge.
“Even our original Hoodie contains 35 percent recycled nylon.”
— Kris Cody, Paka founder and CEO
Milestones and Fiber Definitions
Paka has not published interim targets or a detailed implementation schedule in the source material. It also has not described how it will calculate the more-than-90% figure, including whether the measure is based on fiber weight across all products or another method. The company’s announcement does not specify which synthetic fibers it expects to remove, how quickly product designs will change, or whether the 2035 target applies to every item or the overall portfolio.
The pledge is a stated goal, not confirmation that the company has already made those changes. It remains unclear how Paka will manage performance, cost and supply as it increases use of materials such as hemp and regenerative Pima cotton, or how it will extend traceability beyond alpaca sourcing.
Details to Watch Through 2035
The next signs of progress will be specific product and sourcing updates: which fibers Paka introduces, which synthetic components it reduces, and whether it reports progress against interim benchmarks. The company says future products will follow principles centered on sourcing, partners, traceability and giving back, but it has not provided dates for new material launches or further disclosures.
Consumers and industry observers can compare future company updates with the current baseline of a little over 70% natural and plant-based fibers. Until Paka publishes a measurement method and milestones, the pace and scope of progress toward the 2035 goal remain uncertain.
Key Questions
What is Paka’s 2035 fiber target?
Paka says it aims for more than 90% of the fibers it uses to be natural or plant-derived by 2035.
How much of Paka’s current portfolio is natural or plant-based?
Founder and CEO Kris Cody said the current share is a little over 70%. The company has not provided a more precise figure in the source material.
Which materials does Paka plan to use more of?
A company statement names regenerative Pima cotton and hemp among the natural and plant-derived fibers it plans to increase.
Does Paka’s original Hoodie meet the target now?
No. Cody said the original Hoodie contains 35% recycled nylon. Paka has not said when or whether it plans to replace that component.
Has Paka explained how it will measure progress?
Not in the source material. The company has not announced interim milestones or a detailed calculation method for the 2035 target.
Source: wwd.com
