Breadth of Impact

Patagonia operates dozens of retail stores, which are spread across the U.S, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, Chile and Argentina. Their products are designed for the great outdoors, but many of their clothes are well suited for every day living as well.

Depth of Impact

Many Patagonia customers buy their apparel and equipment for a functional purpose: to go on excursions!. Outdoor enthusiasts create unforgettable experiences with their products. For those that simply like the style, customers wear Patagonia with pride.

Scaling Strategy

For expanding operations, Patagonia uses a branching strategy to open new retail stores. They’ve also built a robust online sales platform.

Legal Structure

In January 2012 Patagonia became the first company in California to register as a Benefit Corporation (B Corp), which requires them, by law, to consider social and environmental stakeholders in all decisions. This supports them in their mission to make ecologically sensitive, socially responsible products.

Patagonia is privately owned, operating as a subsidiary of Loose Arrow Corporation. According to their mandate, through 1% for the Planet they donate 1% of sales to environmental causes each year. That has translated to a total of $46 million in cash and in-kind donations to organizations worldwide since 2002.

This organization's physical work environment is recognized for its:

Extraordinary Amenities

Patagonia’s headquarter offices in Ventura, California are fully equipped. To help employees get fit before, during or after work, they have a basketball court, a volleyball court, a yoga studio, a weight room and aerobic equipment. Trained instructors lead classes in yoga, aerobic, and Pilates. And there are on-site showers!

Food Offerings

For good eats, employees of this organization enjoy an organic cafeteria.

Desirable Setting

Patagonia’s Ventura, California office is located next to one of the U.S. west coast’s best surfing spots, accessible via a bike and running path.

Their other primary office, the Reno Customer Service Center, is within close proximity to the Sierra, tempting employees toward all kinds of outdoor activities like climbing, kayaking, fly-fishing and backcountry skiing.

Fun Factor

According to Outdoor Magazine, Patagonia offers staff lots of opportunities to have fun together. In Ventura, CA, they’ll compete with other local businesses in softball, volleyball, tennis, and tug-of-war. And at the Reno Service Center, the company is known for taking groups on a half day trip to snowshoe or ski during the winter. In the summer they’ll sometimes float down the Truckee River!

This organization empowers its employees through:

Support for Personal Growth and Learning

A four-month leave-of-absence is available to employees who want to pursue a personal endeavor. At this organization, typical examples include a multi-month climbing expedition or a surf trip to an exotic locale.

Results-Only Work Environments

Employees can compress work weeks on an as-needed basis. For example, an employee may work late one day so as to leave early on another. Many Patagonia employees leave early on Fridays (outdoor enthusiasts) to get a jump on the weekend, having already made up the time earlier in the week.

Performance Recognition

Patagonia is known for recognizing staff members for great performance, sometimes publicly at company meetings, or company-wide parties. Often, recognition comes in the form of gifts such as certificates for meals or travel.

This organization has been recognized for its initiatives to create:

Happy Customers

An unbeatable return policy instills a high level of trust in Patagonia shoppers. The company’s commitment to environmental sustainability further enhances customer satisfaction. In the New Game, “voting with your dollars” is as important as ever.

Products for a Better World

Patagonia’s core products foster health and happiness, as they are designed with the outdoor enthusiast in mind. Studies show that outdoor activity improves physical health and healing, mental health and concentration levels.

Donations to Social Causes

Patagonia’s Voice Your Choice™ was conceived to encourage customers to become better informed and more involved with environmental work in their communities. Through this initiative, Patagonia invites local communities to help determine how their 27 Patagonia-owned, North American stores spend part of their environmental grants budgets.

Once a year, each store receives $5,000 to be divided among three pre-selected environmental groups. Representatives from each group visit the store to talk about their efforts. Store customers then vote for the group whose work resonated most with them.

Patagonia’s Reno Service Center earned LEED Gold Certification in 2006!

The Earth Friendly features of this organization's offices and facilities include:

Eco-tech Construction

The materials and construction practices used to build Patagonia’s Reno Service Center are Earth Friendly.

Efficient Appliances and Retrofits

Patagonia’s main facilities use water-efficient appliances and optimize energy use with a wide range of power-saving devices. Additionally, their Reno Service Center uses 30% less water than the baseline calculated for the building.

Renewable Energy Installments

In 2005, Patagonia built their own power plant in the parking lot of their Ventura, California headquarters. It derives its electrons from a clean, renewable and a seemingly inexhaustible source–the sun. At 69 kW, their 378-panel system provides approximately 10% of the electricity needs to the Ventura headquarters.

Eco-Friendly Supplies

Patagonia makes it a point to use Green-Seal Certified housekeeping products, supporting other responsible producers and keeping their staff safe from poisonous chemicals.

Clean Commuting Incentives

There are clean commuting and carpooling incentives, an initiative that helps reduce easily-preventable damage to the environment.

Recycling and Composting Systems

Not surprisingly, Patagonia is sure to sort their waste responsibly!

Bluesign® is a Swiss-based company that's created a strict standard in textile production. Patagonia has worked with them since 2000. As of 2012, Bluesign approved 30 percent of all fabrics used in Patagonia products.

This organization showcases its Eco-Design through:

Environmentally Conscious Materials

All of Patagonia’s clothes are made from 100% organic cotton. Their materials also include recycled and recyclable polyester, and hemp.

Durability

Ask anyone who shops Patagonia and you’ll hear first-hand how durable their products are. And they back up their commitment to quality with long-term warranties on all goods.

Biodegradable, Recyclable or Reusable Breakdown

Patagonia’s Common Threads initiative is an impressive example of closed-loop production. It calls for Reducing, Repairing, Reusing, Recycling and Re-imagining. Anything of theirs that’s finally worn-out can be returned for them to recycle (or repurpose, if it can’t be recycled). Since 2005, they’ve taken back 45 tons of clothing for recycling and made 34 tons of waste material into new clothes.

In addition to minimizing their own impact, this organization’s environmental initiatives extend to:

Spreading Environmental Awareness

Patagonia regularly uses their influence to spearhead environmental movements. In early 2012 they were focusing their attention on what they call Broken Rivers, looking at the impact of dams and diversions. They write that “dams have depleted fisheries, degraded river ecosystems, and diminished recreational opportunities on nearly all of the nation’s rivers. Many dams are old, unsafe or no longer serve their intended purpose. Diversions drain water levels in many rivers, reducing fish and wildlife habitat and damaging human communities dependent on healthy rivers”. Founder Yvon Chouinard wrote a wonderful essay on the subject. You can read it on Patagonia’s website.

Donating to Environmental Causes

Founder Yvon Chouinard co-founded 1% for the Planet, a philanthropic initiative that encourages businesses to recognize that industry and ecology are inherently connected.

Since 2002, 1% for the Planet has inspired 1,300 businesses to contribute 1% of sales to environmental groups around the world. Patagonia is a proud member.

Voluntary Carbon Credit Purchases

Patagonia buys carbon offsets to cancel out the carbon dioxide produced an addition they put on their Reno Service Center. They buy the offsets from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a 501c3 that gives all profit to renewable energy and watershed protection projects.

Environmentally-Focused Products and Services

In 1989, Patagonia co-founded The Conservation Alliance to encourage other companies in the outdoor industry to give money to environmental organizations and to become more involved in environmental work.