Corporations at Work
Toward a Sustainable Japan--Corporations at Work Article Series No.52
Protecting Nature through Business - Patagonia Japan
http://www.patagonia.com/
Yvon Chouinard, a mountaineer and eventually the founder of Patagonia,
started selling hand-made pitons (metal spikes to drive into cracks in rock
for support in climbing mountains) in 1957, at the age of 18. Not long
afterwards, he and a friend established a mountain gear company in
California. Chouinard's pitons acquired a good reputation because of their
high quality, achieved through continuous improvement.
In those days, however, pitons were repeatedly driven into and removed from
cracks in the rocks, and this damaged fragile rock faces little by little
because the same cracks had to endure pitons being repeatedly hammered in.
As rock climbing became more popular, Chouinard came to realize that
conventional pitons would severely damage these precious natural features.
In 1972, he decided to stop producing pitons, which at the time made up 70
to 80 percent of his company's sales.
He then developed and started marketing new mountaineering equipment which
replaced conventional pitons. He called on climbers to protect natural rock
surfaces in a "clean climbing" campaign. The new gear was not only harmless
to rocks but also lighter and more functional, so that Chouinard's company
was able to successfully replace its mainstay item and phase out old pitons
within a few years.
"When we found that our product had been harming nature, we chose to stop
manufacturing that product regardless of the difficulties involved." The
commitment Chouinard made at that time as a result of this important
experience still permeates Patagonia's corporate philosophy.
Patagonia started off as the clothing department of Chouinard's climbing
hardware company in 1973. Its business now ranges from developing fabric
materials to manufacturing and selling mainly outdoor clothing and
sportswear for mountain climbing, surfing and other outdoor sports.
Established in 1988, Patagonia Japan now has about 160 employees and markets
Patagonia products in Japan. It has three sales channels, including 12
Patagonia retail shops, more than 200 stores that carry Patagonia products,
and an online catalogue.
Patagonia recognizes that unspoiled nature is the foundation of its
business, so its mission statement declares, "Build the best product, do no
unnecessary harm and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the
environmental crisis." Patagonia Japan implements the commitment expressed
in this mission statement as faithfully as the head office in the United
States.
To carry out the first part of the mission, "Build the best product, do no
unnecessary harm," Patagonia strives to develop environment-friendly fabrics
and establish recycling schemes, and has adopted the goal of producing all
items from 100 percent recycled or recyclable fabrics in order to achieve
sustainable circulation in the product life cycle.
Aware that its products were causing pollution of natural areas, in 1991
Patagonia conducted life cycle assessments of its products made from four
main materials: cotton, wool, polyester and nylon. The results showed that
all these materials were posing some environmental impacts, of which cotton
had the most damaging effects. At that time, the cotton Patagonia used was
being grown with large amounts of agricultural chemicals. In accordance with
the assessment results, Patagonia began to phase out this kind of cotton and
use organically-grown cotton instead; it completed this switch-over for all
its cotton products by 1996. As for wool items, Patagonia has been using
organic-certified wool for some of its products since 2004. This year
(2006), it also started making woolen underwear with wool from sheep that
eat only natural grass and drink spring water, in pastures where the number
of sheep per acre is limited.
Patagonia's thermal-efficient, double-faced Synchilla (R) fleece has been a
best seller since its first appearance on the market in 1985, and in 1993
the company began to mix in its PCR (R) (Post-Consumer Recycled) fiber made
from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. The proportion of
PCR fiber in Synchilla was 50 percent at that time, but has now grown to 90
percent. Patagonia is actively researching how to increase the number of
items that use recycled materials.
One of Patagonia's noteworthy achievements in 2006 was the launch of new
CapileneR items at Patagonia stores around the world. The new Capilene uses
more than 50 percent polyester fiber recycled from PET bottles or used
Patagonia brand garments.
Capilene was first developed 20 years ago as quick-drying polyester fiber.
In September 2005, Patagonia launched its Common Threads Recycling Program
in Japan and the United States in order to collect used Capilene and reuse
it to create new fibers. This program was developed jointly with a Japanese
textile maker, Teijin Fibers, Ltd.
http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/patagonia.go?assetid=1956
http://www.japanfs.org/db/database.cgi?cmd=dp&num=1199&dp=data_e.html
For new Capilene products, Patagonia uses natural ingredients to impart
resistance to bacteria and odors instead of silver, which is a commonly used
to deodorize fabric. Patagonia is also trying to replace chemicals with
natural ingredients for dying and shrink-proofing other products as well.
In this way, Patagonia has continued its efforts to increase the number of
products it makes with environment-conscious materials. Also, as a way of
helping consumers find eco-friendly products, Patagonia labels these
products with an "e-logo" mark (a white "e" on a green circle) in its
catalog, starting with the 2006 fall/winter issue.
Activities aimed at realizing the second part of the Patagonia mission, "Use
business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis,"
are divided into financial support and non-financial support. Regarding
financial support, Patagonia has voluntarily donated what it considers an
"earth tax", equal to at least one percent of sales or at least ten percent
of pre-tax profits, whichever is greater, for environmental protection and
restoration. Donations awarded in the year from May 2005 to April 2006
amounted to US$2,218,795; the money was donated through various channels
such as a grants program for grass-roots environmental organizations, to
support year-round environmental campaigns conducted by the company, and as
support for the Conservation Alliance, an environmental protection fund
co-founded by outdoor businesses including Patagonia.
Like Patagonia US, Patagonia Japan supports environmental organizations in
Japan through its grants program and the Conservation Alliance Japan, a
network co-founded by Japanese outdoor-related companies including Patagonia
Japan. Patagonia Japan has funded 24 environmental groups so far through the
Conservation Alliance Japan.
A unique program of non-financial support is the Patagonia Employee
Internship Program. Through this program, employees can take a leave of
absence from their jobs at Patagonia for up to two months to work full-time
for the environmental groups of their choice. Patagonia continues to pay
their salaries and benefits during this time. In the case of Patagonia
Japan, one employee from its Osaka store went to the Shiribetsu River in
Hokkaido, northern Japan, to help save the endangered Itou salmon from
extinction. Another employee from its Sapporo store in Hokkaido worked for
an environmental organization dedicated to protecting the Teshio river
system in Hokkaido. Another three employees joined in environmental
activities at a national park in the Patagonia region of South America. This
year again, a female employee went to the Patagonia region for three weeks
at the end of October.
Employees who perform this internship play an important role by sharing
their experiences and the beauty of nature with the public through the media
and events at Patagonia retail stores.
Patagonia Japan places importance on holding lecture series and other events
at its retail stores: all stores hold such events about once a month. The
store in Shibuya, Tokyo, held an organic food market for two days in April
2006, in partnership with groups involved in producing and selling organic
and chemical-free vegetables. This event was very popular, as organic foods
are usually difficult to obtain despite the growing interest of the public.
In October 2006, this event was held again in response to the success in
April.
Like Patagonia US, Patagonia Japan promotes environmental activities in the
course of all its business activities. For example, the company disseminates
environment-related information through its brochures and web sites, and
provides environment-related know-how relating to its products and
activities to anyone who asks for it. Based on the themes adopted and
information provided by Patagonia headquarters in the US, Patagonia Japan
will continue to collaborate with relevant Japanese organizations, providing
contact information, etc., in order to help Japanese customers understand
and participate in environmental activities.
(Staff writer Eriko Saijo)
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