Patagonia

Senior Seminar in Organization Supervision 2420:421

Case Study #3

Patagonia: Leading a Green Revolution

To: Dr. Jamal Feerasta

By: Connor Duhaime

8/4/2015

In the 1960’s an avid rock climber by the name of Yvon Chouinard started his own business of making steel pitons, which are the pegs in rocks used to support climbers, and selling them for a profit. His inventions made rock climbing easier and more affordable for everyone, until he saw what his pitons were doing to the environment. One day on a climb on Mount El Capitan, he noticed his pitons were damaging the rock faces that he loved to climb. A few years later Yvon and his partner Tom developed a new product called chocks that could be removed and reused and didn’t have the damaging effects that the steel pitons had.

Almost two decades later, the new company Patagonia became a booming manufacturer of outdoor clothing and gear. With an estimated over $300 million in sales each years you wouldn’t expect this to be a company that doesn’t care so much for profits. The goal behind Patagonia is to produce high quality products and does so with the least amount of environmental impact. It is a dedicated environmental friendly organization that looks at every way possible to become more sustainable, reduce emissions, and create awareness for the planet. It’s something that CEO and Founder Yvon Chouinard takes very seriously and is willing to go to extreme lengths and risks to make sure the company stays that way.

The company deals with a number of environmental organizations including the 1% For The Planet, cofounded by Chouinard, in which the company donates 1% of its annual sales to almost 2,400 environmental causes. It even allows employees to go away for two months to help support a cause, all while still getting paid by Patagonia. It’s an environmental organization in itself that is always looking to “move forward” and find new ways to become more sustainable, and are willing to do whatever it takes,...