Patagonia: Why Principles and Profits Are NOT Mutually Exclusive

Not long ago, most American big corporates laughed at the notion of going green. Now there is a stampede to become environmentally responsible, not just because its good PR, but because it's finally becoming recognized that unsustainability is NOT commerically viable.

Thus it is heart warming to see the April 2, 2007 issue of Fortune magazine great cover story, "The Coolest Company On The Planet". Patagonia has been on our radar screen since the late 1990's as a principles-based company and exemplar of the the Next Generation Workplace attributes of Meaning and Harmony.

The article focuses on Patagonia's legendary founder, Yvon Chouinard and is peppered with several of his provocative and salty quotes:

On the future of humankind..."I don't think we're going to be here for 100 years from now as a society, or maybe even as a species......"

On the typical corporate modus operandi of unsustainable growth, an "out-of-control tumor...."

On his philosophy of running a business......"I wanted to distance myself as far as possible from those pasty-faced corpses in suits I saw in airline magazine ads......" and ....."If you're not pissing off 50% of the people, you're not trying hard enough......"

On the gap between the principled and the possible...."Patagonia will never be completely socially responsible. It will never make a totally sustainable, nondamaging product. But it is committed to trying......."

On why he would never take the company public in the capital markets....."I don't want a Wall Street greaseball running my company......"