TKE: Using business to save the planet, with Beth Thoren, Patagonia

When Yvon Chouinard became a member of the Southern California Falconry Club in 1953, he was taught how to abseil down cliffs to view the birds’ nests and it sparked a lifelong love of climbing and the outdoors. Twenty years later he founded the clothing company Patagonia. Today it’s a billion-dollar business whose mission statement reads: “We’re in business to save our home planet.”

Patagonia is at the forefront of a host of initiatives from recycling to renewable energy. It gives money to grassroots environmental non-profits, repairs garments and supports 64,000 workers through Fair Trade. 

They publish films and books, fund environmentally and socially conscious start-ups, campaign and innovate in organic and regenerative farming practices. Patagonia is a living, breathing embodiment of a values-driven business.

In this episode, Mary talks to Patagonia’s environmental action and initiatives director Beth Thoren about the brand’s vision for the future - and just how critical good business is to the fight to save the planet.

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