The Responsible Company: What We've Learned from Patagonia's First 40 Years

by Yvon Chouinard, Vincent Stanley

The Responsible Company , by Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia, and Vincent Stanley, co-editor of its Footprint Chronicles, draw on the their 40 years' experience at Patagonia – and knowledge of current efforts by other companies – to articulate the elements of responsible business for our time. Patagonia, named by Fortune in 2007 as the coolest company on the planet, has earned a reputation as much for its ground-breaking environmental and social practices as for the quality of its clothes. In this exceptionally frank account, Chouinard and Stanley recount how the company and its culture gained the confidence, by step and misstep, to make its work progressively more responsible, and to ultimately share its discoveries with companies as large as Wal-Mart or as small as the corner bakery. In plain, compelling prose, the authors describe the current impact of manufacturing and commerce on the planet’s natural systems and human communities, and how that impact now forces business to change its ways. The Responsible Company shows companies how to reduce the harm they cause, improve the quality of their business, and provide the kind of meaningful work everyone seeks. It concludes with specific, practical steps every business can undertake, as well as advice on what to do, in what order. This is the first book to show companies how to thread their way through economic sea change and slow the drift toward ecological bankruptcy. Its advice is simple but powerful: 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, and earn the trust you’ll need by treating your workers, customers and communities with respect.  

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Sustainability, Environment, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Audiobook

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2012

Reviews

[Jen]

Just started reading this one because I really enjoyed Let My People Go Surfing, and Yvon Chouinard is one of my heroes. One of the reasons is that he is not afraid to scrutinize his company, his industry, and his own products in pursuit of greater responsibility. In the book, he and coauthor Vincent Stanley give compelling examples of how these tough questions can not just lead to doing GOOD, but also to doing WELL (more profit). They readily admit that Patagonia isn't perfect, that no company is, but it's critical to work toward the more sustainable end of the continuum and share knowledge so we can all improve.

Lots of favorite quotes so far, including the following on pages 26-27: "Poke your nose into any store in the mall and look around. Much of what we produce to sell to each other to earn our living is crap... Every piece of crap, because it was manufactured, contains within it something of the priceless: applied human intelligence, for one, natural capital for another... We're wasting our brains and our only world on the design, production, and consumption of things we don't need and that aren't good for us."

[Mark Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are serious about making your company more responsible to the environment and your employees, The Responsible Company is the book you should read. In the book, Yvon Chouinard makes the point that "Companies, not individuals, generate 75 % of the trash that reaches the landfill or incinerator. [Moreover], 90%of a product's environmental impact is determined at the design stage."

Chouinard takes you a product lifecycle journey detailing how difficult it is to truly measure the environmental impact of a product in a global economy. As I do in my book, Guerrillapreneur, Chouinard challenges executives to integrate the environmental impact caused by their companies into their on-going business plans. However, Chouinard shows that a "responsible" company can not only implement these changes, the company can do so and reduce operating costs. The book includes templates and a change roadmap that companies can use to start their own journey.

This book is a MUST read for every MBA student.

[Ryan Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened on audio book. Only gave it 4 stars because if it was Yvons voice it would have made it 1000% better. I think every company should make their employees listen to this book.

[Bailey L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a short book about what it means for a company to be responsible and sustainable. There were certainly some salient points on the topic of social impact. Moreover, the author did about as decent of a job as possible of it not being just a Patagonia love fest, especially considering this book is typically only sold in their stores.

However, it was still rather dry and could have more stories from outside of Patagonia to bolster the argument and feasibility of the impact of having a "triple bottom line." I still learned a good amount, but if someone wanted to know the highlights, they could just flip through my copy and read what I highlighted and get the gist in about 5 minutes.

Nonetheless, I'm grateful I read it.

[ReadingMama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patagonia was nominated as the coolest company on the planet in 2008 and now, I see more of their products people are wearing… Until now, I have no idea of its founder Yvon Chouinard who is an avid rock climber, surfer, environmentalist and successful businessman. Born in 1938, he has always been alway interested in mechanical things, making and developing. In one of the interviews, he said the trip in 1968 to South America, Peru, Argentina and Patagonia changed his life, determining to keep the earth as natural and wild as it is, as his life mission. In this book, he talks about his business and life philosophies. His purpose of the company has never been the biggest one in the industry, instead of being responsible and conscious of social and environmental impact.
He has used three core ideas in his business: 1) Know your impact 2) Favor improvement and 3) Share what you have learned. The first step is to engage your team, then prioritize what must be done. It is important to define what is your first success, then progressively work on more difficult challenges. Finally, share what you have learned with your colleagues, friends, media and even your competitors. That’s how you will gain a good reputation and respect among the peers. He has paid 1% earth tax of income (I think it is such a responsible thing that all industry and individuals should adopt) as donation toward environmentally impactful causes. His design philosophy is also focused on environmental conservation. 90% of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage, so why not see from that perspective from the very early life cycle analysis? Patagonia is a groundbreaking company that practices environmental and social responsibility, in addition to its customers and employees. This is the kind of company where you can find a meaningful purpose that can change the positive impact on this earth and toward the future generation!

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially a repackaging of Let My People Surf. That being said, the checklists provided at the end were a very cool addition. The appendix offers 30 or so pages of ways an organization can strive to be responsible ranging from environmental stewardship or construction methods, to employee benefits.

I think Yvon does an excellent job to also emphatically state that all business will cause some unavoidable harm, but we should do all in our power to minimize that. Pursuing a symbiotic relationship with our planet rather than an exploitative one is necessary if we're to survive the impending ecological crisis. If more companies and individuals were striving to reduce the unavoidable harm they did, we'd be in a much better place.

I feel that the acceptance of unavoidable harm also does a good job of pointing out that we'll never eliminate our impact. In order for life to exist it must draw from something. But we can strive to reduce our impact. We don't have to start eating minimal calories of veggies raised in our backyard eking out a painful life of bare sustenance. But maybe we could reduce the amount of industrial agricultural products we consume. Or we could buy that new book we've had our eye on at a local indie shop shop instead of impulse buying on Amazon. Maybe little by little we can turn inward to our local communities and weave a network of responsible, sustainable towns and cities to enrich the global web of life. Maybe this just utopian idealism but what's the worst that could happen?

[Laura Tolp · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Much of what we produce to sell to each other to earn our living is crap, either ever more luxurious, specialized goods like electronic temple massagers and personal oxygen bars, or cheap salty junk food and disposable clothing. Every piece of crap, because it was manufactured, contains within it something of the priceless: applied human intelligence, for one, natural capital for another—something taken from the forest or a river or the soil that cannot be replaced faster than we deplete it. We’re wasting our brains and our only world on the design, production, and consumption of things we don’t need and that aren’t good for us.
Everything manufactured comes with a cost that exceeds its price.”

“Everything we make does some damage. To produce enough gold to make a wedding band, for instance, generates 20 tons of mine waste.”

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that I wish everyone could read.
I admire the way they ask the hard questions for a business on a wide scale. Their devotion to raising the standard for a world-wide companies social and environmental responsibilities feel groundbreaking. They give a glimpse of hope for a company to put their people and their purpose beyond an immediate profit.
This book captures everything that is important for raising and upholding these standards, while doing so in a way that anyone can understand and implement. Being so that it is their story and they are still playing it out!

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be a mandatory read for all humans living in a capitalist society. It should be a handbook for every single business, household, school, and government agency. The impact that this small book has is exponential.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool peak behind the curtain of challenges that Patagonia has faced and how they have threaded (pun intended) them through their corporate charter. There are some pretty cool lessons learned and thoughts on sustainable economies being attuned to natural regeneration of ecosystems. I enjoyed this short read.

[Abby Wu · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that strives to put a focus on being more responsible as a company and even as a consumer. The authors discuss many ways of being more responsible for the environment, workers, and the world as a whole. While the book is very informative, I found it dull at times and a somewhat impersonal read.

[Severine83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book in 2012 , but now and also being on the textile production I didn’t learn many things

[Alex Furst · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Responsible Company: What We’ve Learned from Patagonia’s First 40 Years by Yvon Chouinard and Vincent Stanley.
4/5 rating.
Book #23 of 2020. Read April 15, 2020.

This book is by Yvon, the creator, and Vincent, a former executive at Patagonia. It discusses the importance of being good stewards of the earth and its inhabitants through sound environmental and caring business practices.

This amazing book speaks about how companies need to make the move to start thinking in unconventional ways about business, such as the triple bottom line (looking at social and natural impacts as well as profit). I think everyone should read it, but business owners and management especially should as they need to start incorporating the important ideas from this book.

I've included below some of the most impactful quotes:
"We need to be more aware of what we do to the planet, do much less harm - and do it far more slowly."
"We're wasting our brains and and our only world on the design, production, and consumption of things we don't need and that aren't good for us."
"But we are beginning to understand the true cost - human, ecological, economic - of everything we make. We need to make less, and whatever we make should be of high quality and long-lasting to better offset its social and environmental price."
Follow these men's lead and make a positive impact through your daily actions at your jobs! As they say:
"Were we to grow less distracted by our consumerism and consumption, and to spend more time with friends and family, or work with people we want to help, or learn something we have always wanted to be able to do, wouldn't that make up for missing yet another sale at the mall? The pursuit of national wealth through trade of increasingly useless things has for a few decades kept us in more clothes than we need, but has nothing to do with the pursuit of happiness."

"An initial 2 percent increase in the cost of a new LEED-certified project incurs savings of ten times that amount over the life of the building. A LEED retrofit saves owners an annual 90 cents a square foot; they make their investment back in two years."
"Everything we make does some damage. To produce enough gold to make a wedding band, for instance, generates 20 tons of mine waste."

"When local politics becomes subservient to distant economic power, the concept of citizenship, of its duties and possibilities, loses its meaning."
"As men and women we are part of nature. If we were to have no experience of nature, or no way to know of it, we would lose entirely our sense of human scale. We derive our sense of awe from our ability to feel nature's force. We better know ourselves when we come face to face with the magnificence of the unknown. Emerson, Thoreau, and other transcendentalists learned and taught these lessons in New England in the 1830s through 1860s. They showed us that we can learn directly from nature about who we are and how to live."
[Richard Nixon about signing the Endangered Species Act]: "This is the environmental awakening. It marks a new sensitivity of the American spirit and a new maturity of American public life. It is working a revolution in values, as commitment to responsible partnership with nature replaces cavalier assumptions that we can play God with our surroundings and survive. It is leading to broad reforms in action, as individuals, corporations, government, and civic groups mobilize to conserve resources, to control pollution, to anticipate and prevent emerging environmental problems, to manage the land more wisely, and to preserve wilderness."
"As of this writing, two-thirds of the U.S. economy relies on consumer spending. Editorial pundits from the center left of The New York Times to the hard right of The Wall Street Journal pay obeisance to the god of consumer spending and its gospel of 3 percent minimum growth. This cannot be sustained. Poke your nose into any store in the mall and look around. Much of what we produce to sell to each other to earn our living is crap, either ever more luxurious, specialized goods like electronic temple massagers and personal oxygen bars, or cheap salty junk food and disposable clothing. Every piece of crap, because it was manufactured, contains within it something of the priceless: human intelligence, for one, natural capital for another - something taken from the forest or a river or the soil that cannot be replaced faster than we deplete it. We're wasting our brains and our only world on the design, production, and consumption of things we don't need and that aren't good for us."
"Nature decides our fate but has no voice of her own, or not one that we can hear. We can't sit with her at the table and ask her what she needs to get her work done or what she cares about most. In the face of nature's silence, we have to honor the Precautionary Principle, now embedded into law in the European Union and other countries, that in the absence of scientific certainty, the burden of proof that a new product or technology is safe now falls on business. The Precautionary Principle requires us to reverse our habit, prevalent since the Industrial Revolution, to act now and deal with the consequences later."
"Companies, not individuals, generate 75 percent of the trash that reaches the landfill or incinerator. Packaging, for which the producer is responsible, is disposed of almost instantly by the consumer and comprises a third of all waste."
"It isn't enough for companies to argue that they're simply meeting customer demand: to make a bad product is to do bad business."
"Ninety percent of a product's environmental impact is committed at the design stage; two-thirds of waste is generated by industry, not households - so what we do at work has far greater consequences than going out on a Saturday morning to trade in the Hummer for a Prius. What we do at work every day matters."
"We cause more environmental harm trucking a jacket on the short, final leg from the port in L.A. to the warehouse in Reno than we do shipping the same product across the breadth of the Pacific."
"Our economy depends on nature, not the other way around, and companies will destroy the economy if they destroy nature."
"Our third responsibility, as we have argued throughout this book, is to reduce the harm we do in the course of ordinary business and take birth-to-rebirth responsibility for what we make or bears our name."
"When it comes to protecting nature and human beings from harm, we are all on the same side."
"Doing the right thing usually emboldens people to do more of the right thing."

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good sequel to 'Surfing' and just about as inspiring. Choinard reminds us that regardless of what we're doing in our lives we have a responsibility to make it right, whether that be the workers who make our products or the raw materials that go into them. Do we embrace a cradle to grave philosophy in our product lifecycle? Are the people that create and manufacture our products made to feel successful and secure? What about our customers? Does our product satisfy the needs that they were seeking? The book opens our eyes these and other sustainable questions that we might not otherwise think about. Choinard is humble, he admits that in the beginning they (Patagonia) didn't either but are now constantly challenging each other with possible better ways to make their products.

What if we were to step back and assess the impact our decisions make on the lives of others and our planet? Would we change our ways? After reading this book (and Surfing) I know I will. I hope you will too.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Yvon Chouinard and Vincent Stanley for finally saying what every company, what every business, what every entrepreneur needs to hear. There are myriad ways to run a more responsible company -- responsible to the environment, responsible to the customers, responsible to the employees -- and still -- as evidenced by Patagonia -- make a profit. This book overflows with concrete, do it today details. I learned so much that I can apply to my own business, the most important being to actually reflect on my practices instead of just doing what everyone else does. A great book that will begin an important dialogue and lead us to the future. If you only read one business book this year, make it this one.

[Johanna Ilen]

I hesitate to give The Responsible Company a rating, because I read it in 2023 when climate and environment related awareness has increased a lot compared to when the book was written. In its time it was probably ground breaking and bold, and 5* for that. Now though, it seems a bit bland and obvious, but of course I’m not so deluded that I’d think that this is what most companies do - just that it’s what most companies want to appear to be doing. To be honest I still expected an even more ”different” approach from this book.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vstupujeme do fáze post-konzumní společnosti, protože ekonomika založená pouze na spotřebě přežila sebe i své základní principy - už neposkytuje dostatek dobře placených pracovních míst a kromě toho si otravuje vlastní studnu. Kniha je příkladem že to může být i jinak. Prvních 122 stránek je super, ale lepší je příloha s praktickými pokyny "doporučený seznma". Inspirativní knížka.

[mabelle theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book put my consumer perspective into the background of what actually happens.

In a pursuit to live a life of less with greater meaning. This book was a great reminder of how powerful it is to live simply. Yvon Chouinard from the beginning created his company to reflect his values and attract the people that want to do better for the world.

Before I used to mindlessly consume and try to obtain the 'best' item at a lower price. However, now that I'm becoming more intentional with my decision and the things that I do bring in, I am even more appreciative and aware of the series of steps that it takes from the design team, to the growers, harvesters, sewers, quality control, retail associates, and managers involved just to actually put a cotton shirt and sell it on a hanger in the store.

"Were we to grow less distracted by our consumerism and consumption, and to spend more time with friends and family, or work with people we want to help, or learn something we have always wanted to be able to do, wouldn't that make up for the missing yet another sale at the mall? The pursuit of national wealth through trade of increasingly useless things has for a few decades kept us in more clothes than we need, but has nothing to do with the pursuit of happiness. And it simply no longer works."

[Susan Griggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't recommend this unless you geek out on annual reports, sustainability reports, and supply chain details. I personally would give it four stars, but it's not for everyone. If you're actually trying to figure out how to make your business more responsible or you love diving deep into how things really work behind the scenes, this book delivers the goods with real examples from someone who's been doing it for decades.

This book shows the nitty-gritty of how companies can walk the walk on sustainability. Chouinard doesn't sugarcoat anything - he shows exactly how Patagonia handles everything from fair labor practices to figuring out that cotton is basically as bad for the environment as synthetic materials. The book traces their whole journey, from childcare for employees to that brilliant move where they told customers not to buy any new Patagonia products, but rather reduce their consumption of new goods and reuse what they already have.

The main message is refreshing: doing the right thing doesn't have to kill your profits. Patagonia proves this over and over, whether it's through their 1% for the Planet program or pushing the clean climbing movement. Chouinard also gives props to other companies like Walmart that eventually got on board with environmental initiatives, showing this isn't just a feel-good pipe dream.

[Harley · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌿 **Book Review: The Responsible Company by Yvon Chouinard** 🌿

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In "The Responsible Company," Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia's founder, shares a powerful vision for sustainable business. The book outlines how companies can thrive by prioritizing environmental and social responsibility. Key takeaways include the importance of minimizing ecological footprints, embracing transparency, and driving positive change through ethical practices. It's a must-read for anyone looking to make their business part of the solution to today's environmental challenges.

#Sustainability #BusinessEthics #EcoFriendly #Patagonia

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this was required reading in business school, the climate catastrophe would be much slower approaching. Not only a case study of what Patagonia has done to go from irresponsible to responsible company but also a timeline of the movement in the US. This book opened me up to many more elements of how businesses (read people) can make a positive impact on nature. Inspiring me to take action in my workplace and now I have more tools to be effective (doing more does not always mean doing better).

[Simon Semelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patagonia as a company puts its mission into building a better environment than what it entered. It’s a fascinating way in which a company doesn’t necessarily focus on the money and output but instead of how it’s responsible (not sustainable as no company is).

What’s refreshing is that they don’t talk about themselves as being perfect (which they are quite close to) but instead points points to it’s weaknesses.

The 1:1:1 factor of charity within the company DNA is fascinating and a good example how a company can redefine itself to put focus on what’s important.

[Michal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book tells the story how owners of Patagonia (back in nineties) were realizing the impact of their supply chain (polution by the factories, bad working conditions for the workers) and how they started negotiating with their factories and suppliers.

It gives only some level of detail on how cotton is grown and why current way of growing it is not sustainable, or some examples of working conditions.

However, I expected much greater level of detail and more of the stories of specific people, negotiations etc.

[LuckyYogi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opened my eyes about how not only Patagonia carries out their business, but how the clothing industry has quite an impact on our natural resources...

I used to be biased against Patagonia just based on what I see, what is marketed as their image. In my opinion, Patagonia really doesn't market enough toward mountaineers. My friend let me borrow this book and I was open to it. I now have an appreciation for the company as a whole.

[Emilie Jakobsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to work at Patagonia!

Their dedication, their pertinacity for improvement, and their love letter to more equality and the planet is so inspiring!
I always look for people and actions that can give me tools and perspective for self-improvement and growth and in this regard, Patagonia have long played a role, but this cements it! This is the kind of focus and way of thinking we need more of in the world, and right now I just hope I one day can find a workplace like that<333

[Susan van Weperen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yvon sketches a genuine and honest image of the workings of Patagonia. The mentions whats being done by Patagonia with regard to environment but also touches upon the flows on an environmental level in the company that are hard to fix. This makes the book realistic and genuine.

The story itself is grasping from the start and I wanted to keep on reading. Especially if you are eager to get an insight about the intersectional subject of meaning, environment and work this is a great book.

[Andrew Westphal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not much more than the pale shadow cast by Chouinard's book "Let My People Go Surfing" in the florescent lighting of a business-school classroom.
The checklists at the end of the book are a helpful resource for (aspiring) enviros to bring these topics of sustainability to their own workplaces, but it was generally a letdown as I progress through Patagonia's 3-volume library set.

[Elijah Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very simple, straightforward and accessible. I am a business geek and a Patagonia fan so definitely left me wanting more. Which I think is the intent, works really well as a primer introducing the concept of a responsible company, putting all the checklists in the appendix is a nice way to provide action items or ways to dig deeper. Certainly worth a read.

[Mikayla Imrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never been let down with any of Patagonia’s books. Truly insightful and inspiring. I found the part of not segregating the environmental professionals in a company in order to promote all employees to value the environment in their work extremely interesting. A great read for anyone in business and that could potentially make an impact no matter your role.

[Delibria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tres cosas que aprendí del libro:

✅ El 90% del impacto medioambiental que tiene un producto se establece desde su diseño.

✅ 2/3 de la basura se produce desde la industria, no por los consumidores.

✅ Los campos de algodón contribuyen 165 millones de toneladas métricas de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero cada año