Is Patagonia REALLY Sustainable?

Patagonia presents itself as an environmentally conscious brand, constantly promoting sustainability and anti-consumerism. Our question is: is Patagonia actually helping the planet or is it all just marketing?

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Script: Holly Maley
Editor: Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

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[avacurtis]

I am part of a clean energy campaign for my local school district and Patagonia actually shared our petition on Twitter. Might not seem like a big deal but brands almost never will do that especially with something as small and grassroots as we are

[kenim]

In the end, Patagonia is JUST a clothing manufacturer. You cannot expect them to revolutionize the fossil fuel or logistics industry just by themselves. What they can do (and they are doing it) is use their resources to push for reform while doing the best they can within their industry (ie sustainable cotton).

[felixbechtoldt]

I love that they repair stuff from other brands.
Before I knew more about all of these companies I bought a pretty expensive hardshell jacket from the north face. After a couple of weeks a zipper broke and I sent it to the norh face. Then I waited 8 weeks just to get my jacket back in the exact same condition as I sent it to them. The only thing I got was a note saying that zippers aren't covered by the warranty and that I could get a 10% discount on my next order.
Then I heard about patagonias policy and boom, my jacket is fixed.
I just wish I had bought from patagonia in the first place 😉

[josech]

The fact that they have kept themselves as private company gives them more leeway to live their values. Others brands go public or get acquired by public corporations (looking at you North Face), and then everything is about shareholders value.

[Sivah_Akash]

I think it just comes down to whether the presence of Patagonia is creating new induced demand for products or if are they moving people into buying their products instead of from other companies'.

[rufex]

If there are problems to be solved in the industry, I imagine BEING part of said industry is the first step. In this regard, I prefer that Patagonia stick around and keep showing that businesses can be profitable while at the same time trying to reduce, minimize or even reverse their impact on the environment

[cyler]

The transition from the Patagonia logo into a talk about fossil fuels was pretty cool 👏

[athenadia]

It's definitely a valid point that at the end of the day Patagonia sells things that take away from the planet, hence they can't be "sustainable", but I also find it interesting to think about the fact that we need industry leaders and presences like theirs in all industries. In the end, I will always buy secondhand, but Patagonia is definitely better than buying from many competitors of theirs.

[MssIAMNOBODYSPECIAL]

"At least people will be buying from them and not a competitor without the same kind of corporate backbone"

Agreed.
Tho honestly, if all companies followed patagonia's example, a lot of problems would be so much less worse.

Although I'd say: "just dont buy what you dont need, and buy whay you do need conciously". If patagonia is the most sustainable option out there (but not perfect), I guess you should go for that (while also pushing them to be better).

[gastonvuidepot]

I've been wearing Patagonia clothes for about 30 years, what's more, right now I'm wearing a Capilene shirt that's about 20 years old.
I live in Patagonia, in the south of Argentina. Here I put all the Patagonia clothing I bought to the test.
In my opinion, Yvon Chouinard did a very good thing with his company. Surely, there are more things to improve in Patagonia, but I think the path is the right one, so that we all have a better world.

[Sam_u_L]

Love your videos man! Keep killing it. The quality and inward looking element to your content is respectable at the bare minimum. I really appreciate the perspective you have on consumerism and your efforts to share and inform folks in areas we may not pay enough attention to. Side note, impressed you can still put out the same quality content while on the road! Safe travels 🙌🏻

[mdesmith]

I would be very interested to hear about Patagonia's involvement with the military. This is the first I've heard of it, but it would make sense. The military wants quality outdoor clothing and gear.

[australianboy]

A video on Patagonia’s new decision with their shares as well as military ties would be really interesting.

[EarthSurfer]

I have Patagonia fleece (sweater, jacket, full zip pants) that are older than Levi which I still use. Although all have had minor repairs, these well designed products are as close to sustainable as possible. (BTW: these items have been mostly hand washed to increase life and minimize creation of micro plastic waste.) I have worn out a few pieces of Patagonia tech wear, but all served far more years than I originally anticipated.

[ruisen]

Not sure about other countries, but in Canada, patagonia almost never run any sales at all. When Black Friday or boxing day rolls around and every business is dangling these amazing limited time deals to get you to impulse buy, all you get from Patagonia is silence. I think they really do embody the "only come buy from us when you need something" to the best of their abilities.

[TommoCarroll]

Well sheet, I think it's about time I get myself SOMETHING from Patagonia - I like the honesty A LOT.

[Angus_fO]

Coumd you do a video about sustainable everyday wear? As someone in the climbing community, it seems that sustainability is trendy and common in outdoor wear but is lacking behind in thing like tshirts. Also, maybe touch on how vague measurements of sustainability that brands like zalando and Asos use persuades customers into thinking that they're buying sustainable products when that's not the case.

[masoudabdun-noor]

Everyone’s focused on what big companies are doing, but what are we doing ourselves to make the planter better. Calling awareness to issues is perhaps what they do best, then it’s up to the consumers to better their own practices.

[toneeviera]

Super awesome to see you examine your own beliefs and biases, hopefully it spurs others to do the same

Also, the tie to the military would be really cool to explore and I'd watch the video

[TheBenjaminBrowning]

Who else is sat watching this whilst wearing at least one item of Patagonia clothing?