Page 69 - EarthHeroes

During the late 1960s, there was not much choice in outdoor clothes. Typical climbing gear was cut-off brown chinos and a white shirt. On a trip to the UK, Yvon bought a rugby shirt to wear climbing; its tough collar stopped the ropes from digging into his neck. So many of his friends back home wanted one that he ordered lots more shirts, and soon Yvon’s company was selling these and also making other outdoor clothes: waterproof jackets, hard-wearing shorts and gloves and mittens. Their first fleece tops were made out of blue material usually used for toilet seat covers. By 1972, Yvon’s team were selling more clothing than climbing equipment so he set up a separate clothing company, naming it Patagonia after his favourite mountain range in Chile.
Through the 1970s and 80s, Patagonia grew to be a very successful company. Yvon had always seen himself as a climber, surfer, skier, kayaker and blacksmith who just happened to make things people wanted to buy, but now he realised he was a businessman, too, and this made him uncomfortable. He had
always wanted to do what was right. When he saw that his company’s pitons were actually damaging the rock faces he and others loved to climb, he decided that they would stop producing them, even though they were by far
its most successful product. Yvon had always tried to ensure his business was environmentally friendly, but deep down he believed that most businesses were the enemy of nature, using up the Earth’s resources and poisoning the planet with pollution.
On his travels, he had seen what was happening around the world: deforestation and melting glaciers, the disappearance of wildlife. The streams he fished in weren’t as healthy as they used to be. Yvon read about global warming, the cutting and burning of tropical forests and the destruction of rivers due to dams.
Yet, at the same time, he knew that businesses could make people’s lives better; they could produce food, create
jobs and cure disease. So, in 1991, he made a decision: Patagonia’s mission would be doing good for the planet.
The caring approach starts within the company itself, and today Patagonia is one of the most popular employers in America. Their head office is run by people who love the outdoors. Employees dress however they want – even going barefoot – and can
leave any time to go surfing, as long as they get their work done. Everyone eats together in the staff restaurant,
which serves mostly vegetarian food. There is an
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