Patagonia BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.
It has been a transformational few days for Patagonia and all eyes are on the company following the launch of its first ever unified impact report. The headline everywhere is Patagonia publishes its first “Work in Progress Report” which, at 130 pages, lays bare every struggle and triumph from fiscal year 2025. CEO Ryan Gellert and founder Yvon Chouinard made clear through outlets like FashionUnited and VC Star that profit was never the goal and that Patagonia’s experiment in responsible business is ongoing. Chouinard’s letter in the report reveals deep worry about worsening climate crises and his unwillingness to give up at 87, inviting everyone to join Patagonia in challenging capitalism’s most destructive instincts.
Patagonia’s headline sustainability goals are ambitious but haven’t all been met. Emissions were up 2 percent last year, now totaling 182,646 metric tons of CO2 according to Modaes and Smart Energy Decisions. This unexpected rise was blamed on a shift toward more carbon-intensive products like duffel bags and packs. Gellert swears the company remains committed to reaching net zero by 2040 and expects emissions to decline next year, thanks to stricter coal-phaseout mandates for suppliers and a new approach to internal carbon accounting reported by Trellis and Business Chief. Still, supply chain emissions remain Patagonia’s Achilles’ heel, accounting for more than 90 percent of the company’s climate footprint.
On the product front, there is impressive movement. Patagonia has hit 84 percent use of “preferred materials,” especially in recycled polyester and nylon. Retailers are buzzing about the milestone: every new Patagonia product is now made without intentionally-added PFAS “forever chemicals,” after 20 years of research. But only six percent of synthetic material is recycled—far off target. Patagonia’s switch from easy plastics to reclaiming nets from the ocean proved far harder than expected, a “yikes” moment called out in their own words.
Labor standards are in the spotlight too. While 95 percent of Patagonia’s products are Fair Trade Certified, only 39 percent of manufacturing partners pay a true living wage. Customers and activists on social media have started pushing harder for progress here after reading those stats in the report.
Community engagement remains a big focus, as illustrated by the 29th Annual Salmon Run in Ventura, one of the largest and longest-standing events to connect people and nature. The brand’s donations to groups like 1% for the Planet have reached $240 million since its inception, with nearly $15 million in the past year alone.
Patagonia is now using a custom quality index for every item and it refuses advertising on Meta, priding itself on banking relationships that exclude investments in coal and tar sands—another detail social media environmentalists have flagged and praised.
The overall tone coming out of corporate communications, verified headlines, and the influencer crowd is reflection and accountability—messy but honest. Patagonia is not hiding its unfinished story; it wants its community to read this report and push for better. As Chouinard insists, imperfection is no excuse to stop trying.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI