Member Reviews

An “Environmental” Manufacturer Puffs Itself

“…Advice on how and why to rethink your business structure in a time when traditional capitalism is no longer working for people or the planet. Vincent Stanley, Patagonia’s Director of Philosophy, with Yvon Chouinard, founder and former owner of Patagonia, draws on 50 years’ experience at Patagonia to challenge all business owners and leaders to rethink their businesses in a time of cultural and climate chaos.” Patagonia (1973-) is a private corporation that sells outdoor recreation clothing, equipment and food. On a brief search, I found that Patagonia makes their clothing in China and Vietnam. There is no obvious evidence on this brief search to suggest Patagonia deserves any special recognition for being uniquely “ethical”, as this book seems to claim. “Patagonia over and over throughout the years has been recognized as much for its ground-breaking environmental, social practices as for the quality of its clothes.” They were award in 2019 the UN Champion of the Earth award: for “nearly 70 percent of Patagonia’s products” being “made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles”. And perhaps the real reason it won is that it has been paying out 1% of sales “to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment”, adding up to $100 million that went to grassroot organizations to train activists. What’s needed is research and development funding for finding alternatives to plastic, and other carbon-heavy materials, as opposed to merely paying a bunch of people to march in protest to nothing being done… But doing something is better than nothing… I just have to deflate the puffery in this blurb. “And then, in an unprecedented action, in 2022, the Chouinard family gave their company away, converting ownership to a simple structure of trusts and non-profits, so that all the profits from the company can be used to protect our home planet and work to reverse climate chaos.” Patagonia is worth $3 billion, with $100 million in annual profits. If this donation had gone to the right scientists, and product-developers; this gift alone could have solved the climate crisis… But I sense that it probably fell into the wrong hands if these guys are publishing self-pufferies, without any proof of impact in the first couple of years. “Stanley with Chouinard recounts how the company and its culture gained the confidence, by step and misstep, to make its work progressively more responsible, and to ultimately challenge other companies, as big as Wal-Mart and as small as the corner bakery, to do the same… The current impact of manufacturing, commerce, and traditional capitalism on the planet’s natural systems… It concludes with specific, practical steps every business can undertake, as well as advice on what to do, in what order… Its advice…: reduce your environmental footprint (and its skyrocketing cost), make legitimate products that last, reclaim deep knowledge of your business and its supply chain to make the most of opportunities in the years to come… It also describes the threats of traditional capitalism and why the owners of Patagonia chose to hack the system to ensure that the company will still exist and have impact in 100 years. An explanation of Patagonia’s revolutionary new business organization…”
“1: What Crisis?” generally summarizes environmental catastrophes in-progress. “2: Meaningful Work” then digressively philosophizes about “meaning”. It babbles on with phrases such as: “meaningful work is to do something for a living that you love and are good at doing” (25). This does not need to be stated. Then, a paragraph summarizes Tolstoy’s theories of work in Anna Karenina… The conclusion is that the characters in this work enjoy hard-labor, unlike authors (of this book?)… Tolstoy was an author… He is not exactly an expert on hard-labor… His family owned “peasants”. Then, there is a note that they just closed their factory for 2 years for Covid: workers who needed the paycheck could not have thought this was very worker-forward… Many pages later there is a note that “87 percent of our clothes are produced in Fair Trade factories”, meaning the “premium… is distributed among all workers”, but oddly this has added up to only $4 million (64). Then, they puff their “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign that lectured to consumers not to buy what they didn’t need, instead of making any significant changes to full use recyclable materials that were recycled at the end of their lives as well. They note they “developed… with our supply partners… 100 percent recycled polyester”, but it is unclear if they use this sci-fi material in their products. Then, more dramatically they note that they have kept “more than 884 metric tons of plastic waste out of the world’s oceans” (70).
I don’t know about this one. Maybe this company is going something good. But this puffery self-promotion book has too much fluff, so that readers kind of must skip over most of the first 70 pages to get to the point here. While Patagonia might be doing good things. The guys who wrote this are not good authors. I’d hand this to a more pessimistic editor to cut out the fluff, and add more specifics about their environmental discoveries for the next edition.
—Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Fall 2024: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-fall-2024

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I enjoyed reading this quite a bit. The behind-the-scenes look at the industrial side of clothes was fascinating, as was the choices that Patagonia tried to make in producing higher quality clothing that limited damage to the planet.

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Patagonia's legacy is well-known, but its impact on other companies is also worth exploring. It has created a blueprint for thinking about employee satisfaction, customer care, and devotion to creating a better world. Vincent Stanley has been with the company since the beginning and shares the decisions Patagonia made as it grew in size and popularity. The book also contains stories from other companies who are on their own sustainability journey.

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"The Future of the Responsible Company" by Vincent Stanley is a refreshing guide that navigates the intricate landscape of corporate responsibility with finesse. Stanley, drawing from his vast experience at Patagonia, weaves together insightful anecdotes and practical wisdom, making this book an engaging read for both seasoned business leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs.

What sets this book apart is its optimism. Stanley doesn't just outline the challenges of responsible business; he presents them as opportunities for growth and positive change. The narrative is peppered with real-world examples, making it relatable and inspiring.

The author also delves into the evolving expectations of consumers and employees, emphasizing the importance of purpose-driven companies. His call for authenticity and genuine commitment to social and environmental causes resonates powerfully.

"The Future of the Responsible Company" is not just a guidebook; it's a conversation with a mentor who shares not only successes but also failures, fostering a sense of camaraderie. Stanley's conversational style and passion for responsible business make this a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of ethics and entrepreneurship.

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The book was fantastic, it was a deep dive into the history, values, and valid reasoning with facts on why they make the choices they have from its inception. The Future of the Responsible Company is not all about the good things Patagonia has done, it also revisits changes they have made to align and re-align when other parties they work with weren’t on the same page Patagonia was on.

It discusses every aspect from all levels of the company, and the BONUS of this book is the checklists provided so that you can implement positive changes within your own company. Whether you’re an owner, stakeholder, managerial, or entry-level the guides will encourage and support you in the process of implementation of awareness to make positive and sustainable changes for the future.

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A fascinating book about the future of sustainability and how doing good ends up with your business doing great.

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There not many companies like Patagonia, those who quite literally put environmental responsibility into every fabric of their organization. It is a bold new approach on running a business which provides value to its employees while deeply caring about the planet we live in.

This book reads like a company manifesto, full of experience including successes and failures and ends in a practical guide/checklist for organizations that want to follow the trail blazed by Patagonia, its owners, managers, suppliers and employees. An inspirational read during the hottest months the planet has ever seen.

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