The Company That Chose the Planet with Vincent Stanley

About this episode

Vincent Stanley discusses Patagonia's unique ownership model and its commitment to environmental activism.

Patagonia has long stood as the north star for companies striving to create meaningful impact and proving that business can thrive with purpose. Today, Patagonia stands alone in its ownership model: it has one shareholder—the planet. Instead of “going public,” Patagonia famously “went purpose,” restructuring in 2022 so that 100% of its voting stock flows into the Patagonia Purpose Trust to guard its values, and 100% of its non-voting stock now supports the Holdfast Collective, a nonprofit fighting the environmental crisis. Each year, every dollar not needed to run the business moves directly to protecting nature. It’s a business that invites people into the beauty of the outdoors while safeguarding the planet that makes those adventures possible. We invited Vincent Stanley, Director of Philosophy at Patagonia—and one of its very first employees—to reflect on the decades of learning, experimentation, humility, and courage that shaped Patagonia’s journey. Vincent explores topics from the company’s early fiber-to-farm revelations and culture-defining philosophy classes, to its iconic “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign, industry-shaping activism, and bold ownership redesign. For any…

People in this episode

Guest: Vincent Stanley

Topics covered

• environmental impact
• business purpose
• ownership models
• consumerism
• activism
• innovation

Keywords

• Patagonia
• Vincent Stanley
• environmental crisis
• business purpose
• consumerism
• activism
• innovation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Patagonia, Patagonia Purpose Trust, Holdfast Collective

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