What was so innovative about the Common Threads and Worn Wear initiatives?

Assignment: Case Study 3

This week you will be reading the case study on: Patagonia’s Sustainability Strategy: Don’t Buy Our Products.

On the busiest weekend for retailers in the US, Patagonia’s 2011 New York Times ad stood out. Above a picture of one of Patagonia’s highest grossing fleece jackets were the bold words: “DON’T BUY THIS JACKET.” To reinforce its message, Patagonia detailed precisely why consumers should make smarter buying decisions to purchase only what they need in order to decrease the impact of consumerism on the environment.

Growth, which was commonly accepted as a goal for most organizations, allowed companies to scale their impact and further their missions. Patagonia, a sustainability leader in the clothing and apparel sector, made a bold effort to reject this claim. Ironically, or perhaps not, the advertisement was met with a 30% increase in sales. Although many CEOs would be satisfied with this outcome, Yvon Chouinard, who founded Patagonia in 1973, was not like most CEOs. A sustainability pioneer, Chouinard was one of the first of a group of CEOs to commit 10% of their companies’ profits or 1% of their sales (whichever was greater) towards charitable initiatives. He also propelled the organic cotton industry during the 1990s to improve Patagonia’s supply chain.

➞ I would like you to address the following 5 questions regarding the case study:

4. What was so innovative about the Common Threads and Worn Wear initiatives?
5. How effective was the “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign?