Patagonia Unveils Activist Networking Platform
CIVIC MINDED:Patagonia on Wednesday launched a new site aimed at linking its customers with local organizations focused on environmental issues.
The Ventura, Calif., outdoor apparel company said its new platform Patagonia Action Works is part of its ongoing 1% for the Planet program, with nearly $90 million donated to various grassroots organizations over the past 35 years.
Patagonia posted a video to coincide with the platform’s launch featuring footage of founder Yvon Chouinard.
“If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that things aren’t going very well for the planet. It’s pretty easy to get depressed about it,” Chouinard said in the video. “I’ve always known the cure for depression is action. Patagonia’s reason for existence is to force government and corporations to take action in solving our environmental problems.”
The platform, aside from linking customers with events, petitions and volunteer opportunities, will also be a place for organizations to apply for funding from Patagonia.
“It’s kind of a dating site,” Chouinard went on to say of the platform.
The company, known for taking a stand on a number of environmental matters, has most recently been vocal about President Trump’s decision to shrink the boundary lines of Utah monuments Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. The company, which was the recipient of a WWD Honor for Corporate Citizenship last year, joined a coalition of Native American and conservation groups in December that’s now suing the President and others to have the decision revoked.
The company is hosting events in various cities this year to coincide with Patagonia Action Works’ launch, beginning with a panel discussion in Santa Monica Friday.
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