How environmental and commercial goals coexist at outdoor apparel company Patagonia

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we're talking to a business that lists protecting the planet as one of its core values: outdoor apparel company Patagonia. California-based Patagonia was founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973. The company is a Certified B Corporation, which means it is verified as meeting standards for social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. And since 1985, the company has pledged 1% of its sales to preserving and restoring the natural environment. In 2022, ownership transferred to two new entities — Patagonia Purpose Trust and the nonprofit Holdfast Collective. Profits not reinvested back into the business are paid to Holdfast Collective to address the environmental crisis and defend nature. "We're a for-profit company that's owned by a nonprofit, a trust," Patagonia Vice President of Global Product Footprint Matt Dwyer tells us in the episode. "In order to be in business to save our home planet — which is our mission statement — we have to be in business." Matt explains how Patagonia builds decarbonization and circularity into its strategy, working to use materials and processes that minimize environmental harm while keeping the company's products in circulation for as long as possible through repair, resale and recycling. "For us, it's really about how can we continue to maintain our high quality, how can we continue to build performance product while taking chunks out of that impact, that sunk cost to the planet, that it takes to create every product that we make," Matt says. We sat down with Matt during Climate Week NYC at The Nest Campus, where the All Things Sustainable podcast was an official media partner. Further listening: The Earthshot Prize CEO talks scalable environmental solutions | S&P Global Further reading: EU rules raise the stakes for fashion industry's circularity gap (subscription required) Copyright ©2026 by S&P Global DISCLAIMER By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party's unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global's prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights). This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.