Although Patagonia is sometimes referred to as the Pradagonia or PataGucci of outdoor equipment, Chouniard’s focus on sustainability has spurred innovative ways to curb consumption while still making high-end clothing. Patagonia started using organic cotton well before competitors, is currently making clothes out of recycled soda bottles, and is pledging to make all of its clothes from recycled or recyclable materials by 2010.
In his memoir, Let My People Go Surfing, Chouinard outlines not only how businesses can make wise choices for the environment, but also how corporate culture need not sacrifice employee happiness. When the surf is big, Patagonia employees aren’t found behind their desks. They’re out in the waves. At the company’s headquarters in Ventura, CA, there is on-site childcare center, flexible working hours, and job sharing.
By reducing catalog production, revamping corporate headquarters and retail outlets to be as green as possible, and asking customers to do the unthinkable—buy less—Patagonia’s model of business practices often go against the norm. But according to Chouinard’s memoir, these haven’t been sacrifices; they have helped rather than hindered the company. And by looking at Patagonia’s profits—$270 million last year—this seems to be true. By making clothing that lasts and putting the environment first, Patagonia may help maintain the place where outdoor enthusiasts would rather be right now—in the wild.
