The article in the url link below uses a recent talk at Wharton by Patagonia’s ex-CEO, Kristine Tompkins, to present a profile of the firm (Special Cases of CSR: Malden Mills, p299):
“The company's mission statement today reads: "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis."”
Two things about the interview are striking: First, how far ahead of the curve Patagonia was in implementing a socially responsible approach to business:
“Patagonia has worked to reduce the environmental impact of its products, processes and facilities -- developing recycled polyester for use in its popular Synchilla fleece, introduced in 1985; shifting to recycled content paper for catalogs in the mid 1980s; minimizing packaging in the mid-1990s; and taking extensive energy conservation and waste reduction measures in its Reno, Nev., distribution center … . As of this fall, Patagonia expected one third of its clothing line to be recyclable.”
And, second, how clear the focus has been all along on financial viability:
“"People don't listen to failing companies," said Tompkins. "You can't be a model for 100 years if you're not profitable. If you're not profitable, you are beholden to a banking system [you don't] believe in.... People thought we were fast and loose financially. We were just the opposite." Headed by CEO and president Casey Sheahan since March 2006, privately held Patagonia reported revenues of $270 million in 2006.”
Take care
Dave
Bill Werther & David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
© Sage Publications, 2006
http://www.sagepub.com/Werther
Leadership, Patagonia-style: Changing the Criteria for Success
Knowledge @ Wharton
October 31, 2007
Kristine Tompkins, former CEO of outdoor apparel company Patagonia, pulled no punches with the audience attending her recent Wharton Leadership Lecture. Tompkins said that when she began working full-time at Patagonia in 1972, she didn't understand how the actions of the business world as well as the behavior of individuals "affected the very underpinnings" of the individual, the family and the community. "You know that now," she said, and "the choices you make count more and more." People who can manage "the tough decisions and incorporate" difficult issues into their lives, she said, "are the future leaders."
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1829.cfm
