About this episode

Paul Lightfoot discusses Patagonia's expansion into food and the importance of regenerative organic agriculture in combating climate change.

Patagonia Provisions General Manager Paul Lightfoot joins Climate Rising to discuss why Patagonia expanded beyond apparel into food, and how regenerative organic agriculture is central to its mission of addressing climate change. Patagonia’s food business was built on the belief that agriculture is one of the largest drivers of environmental degradation—and therefore one of the most important opportunities and levers for change. The conversation explores how Patagonia’s early transition to organic cotton shaped its approach and evolution into regenerative organic agriculture. Paul that Patagonia’s focus seeks to encourage regenerative practices that improve soil health, nutrition, and environmental performance. Paul also describes some challenges of building regenerative supply chains, including working directly with farmers, creating demand signals, and managing supply constraints in a fast-growing business. He discusses the role of the Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) standard in addressing greenwashing and scaling adoption, as well as Patagonia’s broader strategy to influence industry practices—not just gain market share. The episode closes with a discussion of the future…

People in this episode

Guest: Paul Lightfoot

Topics covered

• regenerative agriculture
• food system
• climate change
• supply chains
• environmental performance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Patagonia, Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC), Patagonia Provisions

Places: Harvard Business School

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