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Patagonia’s CEO on Selling ‘the Unsexiest Thing in the World’

As the Californian outerwear brand publishes its first ever sustainability progress report, its 50-year effort to model and promote a more climate-friendly form of capitalism is under threat.
A person carrying a pile of Patagonia products walks the aisle of a warehouse surrounded by stacked cardboard boxes.
Patagonia's first ever sustainability progress report comes as political and cultural headwinds are threatening its 50-year experiment in climate-friendly capitalism. (Ken Etzel)

For a little more than half a century,

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Further Reading

‘In Business to Save the Planet’: The Patagonia Paradox

The American outerwear giant’s profits are meant to fight climate change, but its means of generating them do the opposite. CEO Ryan Gellert talks to BoF about the contradiction at the heart of Patagonia’s business, why he’s gambling on resale and the company’s efforts to curb consumption.

Can Patagonia Make Capitalism Climate Friendly?

The company has become a standard bearer for responsible capitalism. But founder Yvon Chouinard’s latest move – giving over most of the company’s shares to a non-profit – will be a tough act for others to follow.

About the author
Sarah Kent
Sarah Kent

Sarah Kent is Chief Sustainability Correspondent at The Business of Fashion. She is based in London and drives BoF's coverage of critical environmental and labour issues.

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