Go Green!

Recently received a direct mail piece from Patagonia promoting some stories of key products. These folks are rapidly becoming one of my most respected brands in the outdoor space. In addition to making some exceptional products, I've really come to respect how they're running a successful company in an environmentally and socially responsible way. As an aside, if you haven't read CEO and found Yvon Chouinard's book "Let My People Go Surfing", I highly recommend it. Perhaps the best business book I've read in recent years.

At any rate, this catalog has a very frank discussion of wetsuits. The bottom line was this - no matter what you do, manufacturing wetsuits (and many other pieces of gear) is inherently environmentally destructive. Patagonia goes on to say that there's really no way to replace neoprene rubber in a wetsuit, but that they take steps to minimize it use. And that at the end of the day, a wetsuit that lasts longer benefits the environment.

I came away from this catalog with a real respect for Patagonia. Their directness on this issue was refreshing. Especially as it ultimately does NOT benefit them as they're essentially saying that the only way to reduce the environmental impact was to sell fewer.

But...

Today I realized something. I was reading all of this in a PRINTED catalog that was sent to me in the MAIL. Two strikes, and perhaps a touch hypocritical? I buy most of my Patagonia gear online, or from a local retailer. I'm totally comfortable with a web-based interface. Why kill trees and contribute to the carbon footprint with direct mail? To my recollection, Patagonia's never asked me if I'd prefer to receive communication via e-mail.

Interesting. Shows you that even the best companies sometimes fail at walking the walk.

-Sean-