ENV 501 - Environment and Sustainability Assignment 1 Reflection Paper Company: Patagonia

ENV 501 – Environment and Sustainability
Assignment 1
Reflection Paper
Company: Patagonia
Submitted By: Ishita Purswani

Submitted To: Professor Minal Pathak
Roll No.: AU2014081
Company’s Profile:
Patagonia, Inc. is an outdoor retail company based in the United States. Founded by Yvon
Chouinard in 1973 is headquartered in Ventura, California. It is a well-known outdoor and
adventure-wear company that leads the way by taking care of our environment. Patagonia has
set a high standard for itself, with a mission statement that reads, "build the best product,
cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the
environmental crisis”. They feel that the only way to manufacture environmentally friendly
and sustainable clothes is to create high-quality products that can stand the test of time and
can be repaired and used again if they do get worn.
Environmental Impact:
Patagonia is taking significant steps to lessen its environmental effects. The Global Organic
Textile Standard (GOTS) certifies all of its cotton, and some of its fabrics are bluesign®
certified. A large portion of its materials, such as polyester, nylon, and wool, are made from
recycled fabrics. Patagonia contributes 1% to Planet as well as it belongs to sustainable
apparel coalition. It rejects fast fashion by producing long lasting and high-quality items
which can be repaired as well as reused.
It also goes so far as to warn consumers against buying so many of its products. The brand's
"Don't buy this jacket" campaign was created to address consumerist concerns head on.
Patagonia understands that one of the most effective ways for consumers to reduce their
carbon footprint is to purchase fewer products.
Consumers were becoming more interested in long-lasting goods during the times of Great
Recession, and Patagonia saw an opportunity to promote its own long-lasting goods and
consumers got interested in buying their clothing.
As a result, the company's sales increased by 30% to $543 million in 2012, followed by a
further 5% increase in 2013. By 2017, the company had achieved a revenue of $1 billion.
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Because of these excellent initiatives, it has been rated ‘Good' for environment.
Sustainable Strategies: Initiatives taken by them

Patagonia is taking steps to produce their products in a sustainable way and are also trying to
educate their customers regarding their shopping sense. It is doing following steps to become
the most sustainable and environment friendly brand, they are as follows:
1. Environment friendly workspaces:
Patagonia’s care for environment is not just limited to manufacturing clothes but they
are also careful about the place where they are doing their manufacturing, they've
gone to great lengths to ensure that all of their workplaces, from headquarters to
manufacturing centres, are as environmentally friendly as possible.
From putting additional funds into the design of their work environments to
ensuring that the buildings cause the least amount of environmental harm to using
renewable energy sources to power their work, including a variety of solar panels,
they are committed to reducing their environmental impact.
They've also replaced the air conditioning in their Reno Services Centre with a night
flush vent system, which recycles air over a 24-hour span to keep the building cool
throughout the day while using the cold night air.
2. Employee Incentives:
They believe that environment is a work which is based on team effort, so they try to
encourage their employees to join their campaign by offering cash incentives for
carpooling, walking, or skateboarding to work or using public transportation. These
rewards help them to get the whole company and everyone who is the part of the
company interested and supportive of the cause.
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3. The Worn Wear Campaign:
They feel that the only way to manufacture environmentally friendly and
sustainable clothes is to create high-quality products that can stand the test of time and
can be repaired and used again if they do get worn.
Patagonia has launched the ‘Worn Wear' campaign to highlight the quality that they
use for their clothing while also encouraging consumers to pick up a sewing kit and, if
they don't break any of their Patagonia products, to fix them.
They hope to encourage more consumers to do the same by sharing stories of people
who have worn their Patagonia clothes and then repaired and re-worn them instead of
buying new and wasting perfectly good garments by sharing stories of other people
who have done the same.
Merits on environmental sustainability strategy:

• They hope to inspire more customers to do the same by sharing stories of people who
have worn their Patagonia clothes and then repaired and re-worn them instead of
purchasing fresh and wasting perfectly good garments.
• Patagonia has teamed up with Bolt Threads, a biotechnology startup based in
California, to create innovative new sustainable textiles that are being called "future
goods." These long-lasting fabrics are much less environmentally friendly than
hydrocarbon polymers like nylon.
• Solar panels have been mounted on the roof of the company's headquarters in
Ventura, California. They do, however, make a profit from micro-solar ventures).
Patagonia invested $27 million in solar installations on 1000 Hawaiian rooftops in
2014. Patagonia spent $35 million in 2016 to instal solar panels on more than 1,500
homes in the United States. These two ventures are also profitable. The fact that solar
is profitable would help to grow the industry by inspiring others to participate.
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Drawbacks on environmental sustainability strategy:
• Greenpeace criticised Patagonia in 2015 after hazardous chemicals were discovered in
the brand's clothing content.
• Patagonia has faced criticism for using recycled PET bottles to make its clothing,
owing to the fact that recycled fibres are weaker when woven together.
• After the shower, the fibres can be manually removed from the laundry bags. Such
bags cost between $20 and $30, and the brand has earned the nickname Patagucci as a
result of its high price.
References:
("How Ethical Is Patagonia?", 2021). How Ethical Is Patagonia?. (2021). Retrieved from
https://goodonyou.eco/how-ethical-is-patagonia/
T. (2020, October 13). What Are Patagonia Doing to Become the Most Sustainable Brand
Possible? Retrieved from https://www.tiso.com/blog/patagonia-sustainable-brand
Matthews, R. (2021, February 1). 10 Reasons Why Patagonia Is the World’s Most
Responsible Company. Retrieved from
https://thegreenmarketoracle.com/2018/02/12/10-reasons-why-patagonia-is-worlds-
most/
Erdmane, A. (2019, July 3). Patagonia’s conflicting green consumerism CW. Retrieved
from https://commercialwaste.trade/patagonias-conflicting-green-consumerism/
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ENV 501 – Environment and Sustainability

Submitted By: Ishita Purswani

Sustainable Strategies: Initiatives taken by them

1. Environment friendly workspaces:

Merits on environmental sustainability strategy:

Possible? Retrieved from https://www.tiso.com/blog/patagonia-sustainable-brand

Responsible Company. Retrieved from

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