What's Done In Our Name

"No longer can we assume the Earth's resources are limitless; that there are ranges of unclimbed peaks extending endlessly beyond the horizon. Mountains are finite, and despite their massive appearance, they are fragile."
- Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia company founder

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Given the amount of scandal and corruption in the corporate world over the past few years, I find it very refreshing to be pleasantly surprised by an American company every now and then.

Half of my enjoyment in doing product reviews – which hopefully shows through in the published posts - is educating myself in the histories and corporate philosophies of the companies whose gear I’m testing. I love learning about how certain visionary people can shape the spirit and work ethic of an entire business around them, how humble operations with shoestring budgets eventually grow into industry heavyweights, and how a company’s origins are almost always reflected in their product offerings, no matter how large or multifaceted the enterprise becomes.

And with increasing frequency, I’m very interested to hear about a company’s sense of social responsibility.


I mentioned in my review of the Release shoe that Patagonia is a socially responsible business, but that description doesn’t nearly do justice to the extent of their commitment to a multitude of environmental, ecological, and human rights causes - or to how impressed I was as I continued to gather information. They contribute a staggering amount of money (more than $25 million thus far) to a wide range of programs, and they have a core belief that business and technology should inspire solutions to global crises rather than worsen them. It's the kind of story that makes you feel continually better the more you hear about it.

Unfortunately, it often seems that some companies today consider themselves eco-friendly if they have a recycling bin in the break room. Others proclaim social awareness simply as a trendy marketing tagline, or consider it a necessary burden of doing business in the public eye in the 21st Century. Patagonia, on the other hand, preaches responsible business practices with a missionary’s zeal, and keeps it as the primary tenet of virtually all their business decisions. (It’s always been this way for them; the above quote from company founder Chouinard was from 1974.)

Most importantly, they also turn the microscope upon themselves - which is where today’s video clip comes in. It’s the first of a 3-part series produced by Patagonia, which investigates the vast complexities and concerns that must be considered in today’s global marketplace. Company executives as well as representatives from various environmental and human rights groups also discuss how every consumer – even those of us half a world away – has an impact on the survival of those programs and initiatives.

Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend how our individual purchasing decisions influence the practices of large companies, but this clip helps put that issue in to a sharper focus. It also suggests a question regarding personal ethics: namely, whether we value social responsibility enough to pay a little bit extra at the cash register (or, more likely, in the online checkout cart - but you get the idea) in support of companies who actually practice them faithfully.

In my Release review, I made an offhand remark about Patagonia’s reputation for having expensive products; clearly, the issue is far more complicated than that. Is it better to buy a $100 pair of shoes from a responsible company, or an $80 pair from a company with a lesser (or perhaps just a lesser-known) commitment? It’s never an easy decision to make, and in the current economy, the choice is probably a larger dilemma than it’s ever been for consumers. I’m not saying you’re morally obligated to spend more money every time you go shopping - but more and more lately, I’m thinking there should at least be some kind of internal discussion on the subject before you hand over your hard-earned dollars.

So that’s my little soapbox speech for the weekend. Watch the video and consider all the factors for yourself. One final note: the video is lengthy – clocking in at almost 16 minutes – but since it’s a holiday weekend, I’m hopeful that you can spare enough time for it.

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The Footprint Chronicles: “What’s Done In Our Name” (click to play):