Never pass up a chance to sit down or relieve yourself. -old Apache saying

Friday, March 23, 2012

Patagonia

The next in the series...
On the socially-responsible scale, Patagonia is way up there.  No, not the land mass in South America.  The clothing company that was founded in the '70's by a couple of outdoor enthusiasts who wanted to market sustainable outdoor clothing.  

Patagonia was the first outdoor apparel firm to use recycled soda bottles as fleece, the first to make mass-market use of organic cotton, and the first to commit to "green buildings" in all its operations. 

Patagonia also donates 1% of sales to grassroots environmental groups.  It pays its employees well, offers flexible schedules and provides day care for its employees.  They take Corporate Responsibility very seriously.  

And they make great products.





Our Reason for Being

Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
–Patagonia's Mission Statement

Patagonia grew out of a small company that made tools for climbers. Alpinism remains at the heart of a worldwide business that still makes clothes for climbing – as well as for skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling and trail running. These are all silent sports. None requires a motor; none delivers the cheers of a crowd. In each sport, reward comes in the form of hard-won grace and moments of connection between us and nature.

Our values reflect those of a business started by a band of climbers and surfers, and the minimalist style they promoted. The approach we take towards product design demonstrates a bias for simplicity and utility.

For us at Patagonia, a love of wild and beautiful places demands participation in the fight to save them, and to help reverse the steep decline in the overall environmental health of our planet. We donate our time, services and at least 1% of our sales to hundreds of grassroots environmental groups all over the world who work to help reverse the tide.

We know that our business activity – from lighting stores to dyeing shirts – creates pollution as a by-product. So we work steadily to reduce those harms. We use recycled polyester in many of our clothes and only organic, rather than pesticide-intensive, cotton.

Staying true to our core values during thirty-plus years in business has helped us create a company we're proud to run and work for. And our focus on making the best products possible has brought us success in the marketplace.

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