Lost somewhere in Patagonia

I'm not a terribly outdoorsy person. I mean, I like sitting on my front porch, which is technically outdoors. I like hiking, as long as there aren't too many ups and downs, and there's something fun at the end, like a pastry shop or something.
So if I have heard of Patagonia, it probably means everyone has.
And if not, they sell outdoorsy stuff. Now you know.

On "The True Cost," there were a few segments interviewing the founder of Patagonia, and beyond selling outdoorsy clothes, I didn't know what kind of company they were. And I'm impressed.

They're not about selling more stuff. In fact, they're focused on limiting it. Patagonia even promotes buying and selling their used products on eBay, and I learned on their website about Yerdle, where you give stuff away and get other things for free-- all for the sake of decreasing the need for production of new goods in general.

I didn't, so I guess the strategy is working! ;)

Their website isn't your typical shopping site, either. Around every corner (of... my computer screen...) is another video or presentation about how they are making their products-- and making their products improve the world. You can see what changes they've made to improve their production sources, which is a big thing for a company to challenge itself like this, and then publicly share their mistakes and then improvements. For example, Patagonia had a second-tier supplier (a supplier of their supplier) who were exploiting some migrant workers-- both legally and illegally. They decided (themselves) to audit all their second-tier suppliers, and when they found problems, they fixed them. If more companies did this, especially the big ones, just think what kind of progress would be made in the world!

The website never comes across as preachy, telling people what THEY should do. Patagonia just talks about decisions they've made and the benefits that have come from those choices. It's inspiring and uplifting, rather than preachy and guilt-inflicting.

One of their choices was to use organic cotton. Patagonia has been using organic cotton since 1996-- which is about a decade before I even knew cotton COULD be organic.

This video about cotton is only two minutes:



I love that when they decided to take the leap into organic cotton, they didn't just phase it in, hoping to make the transition by the next decade or so. No. They dropped products from their line until they could get them up to snuff. And that's a very cool priority to have when you're a business.

Never on the website do you feel like they're peddling their wares, trying to hook you into buying their stuff. Most clothing websites scream, "Buy 2 get one free!!" or, "Stock up for fall!!" (as if it's the first fall you've ever been required to wear clothes), or even, "Come spend your money on our fantastic products!!!" The focus is much more about the ideas that drive their company.

And ideas are much more compelling than products. (There's a TED Talk about that.)