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Episode 5: Prioritizing Sustainability in Business Practices | Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia

objmigrationbot — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 18:02:44 +0000

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Straight Talk with Ryan Gellert of Patagonia

objmigrationbot — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 22:37:27 +0000

In this edition of Straight Talk, Editorial Director Kristin Hostetter sits down for a candid Zoom conversation with Ryan Gellert, the new CEO of Patagonia. It’s his first U.S. interview since taking the helm.

Key takeaways include:

Patagonia’s search for a greener banking partner
Gellert’s belief that the company needs to make less��ǻ�ܳ��
Hints at new revenue streams for Patagonia
Gellert’s short- and long-term goals for the company
Gellert’s take on how Patagonia needs to lean into racial justice

Listen to the full conversation on this episode of the Straight Talk Podcast.

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Patagonia Encourages Shoppers to Buy Used Gear This Holiday Season

objmigrationbot — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 06:05:25 +0000

At this point, it’s something of a tradition in the outdoor industry: Every year on Black Friday, just as predictably as shoppers outlay vast sums of cash for new gear, we can all count on Patagonia to release an attention-grabbing sustainability campaign encouraging them to do the opposite.

In 2011, the company debuted its famous “Don’t Buy This Jacket” ad in The New York Times. In 2016, it donated 100 percent of Black Friday sales to environmental nonprofits. And in 2019, it matched all donations to environmental groups through Patagonia Action Works, the brand’s grassroots activism platform.

This year, the company has launched a new campaign, “Buy Less, Demand More,” that puts the focus on used gear and encourages demand for pre-owned outdoor products.

How Patagonia’s New Initiative Works

The concept is simple and hinges on two principles laid out in the campaign’s name: encouraging customers to buy fewer new products and boosting demand for products made sustainably—using recycled material, regenerative organic cotton, and fair-trade production practices.

Perhaps the most notable feature of the initiative is a button Patagonia has installed on its website that allows shoppers to easily compare new products with used alternatives. The new “browse used” button takes shoppers to Worn Wear, Patagonia’s brand-operated marketplace for secondhand gear.

“No other company is selling used alongside new items and this exciting new development is our latest commitment to keeping our products in use longer,” said Patagonia’s VP of global sportswear, Helena Barbour.

Patagonia has installed a button on its website encouraging shoppers to consider used alternatives to new gear—an industry first. (Photo: Courtesy)

“Patagonia’s Worn Wear program is a celebration of keeping our gear in use longer,” wrote Ryan Gellert, the company’s chief executive, in a blog post announcing the “Buy Less, Demand More” campaign. “Buying a used garment extends its life on average by 2.2 years, which reduces its carbon, waste, and water footprint by 73 percent.”

The second facet of the campaign focuses on education, calling on consumers to demand more of three things in the apparel industry: regenerative organic cotton, fair trade production practices, and recycled fibers. Gellert wrote a detailed analysis of the importance of these demands in a Medium post published last week.

“Today, we stand on the precipice of a climate crisis to which the fashion industry—and Black Friday itself—have undoubtedly contributed,” he wrote. “Our message to citizens everywhere is: You have the power to change the way clothes are made. In simple terms, Buy Less, Demand More.”

Patagonia declined to comment on how the new push to sell used gear is expected to impact the company’s bottom line. Whatever the change, it’s sure to be at least moderately significant. The company confirmed that Worn Wear had the largest sales week in its three-year history after the new “Buy Less, Demand More” campaign was announced.

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Patagonia Names New CEO

objmigrationbot — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 19:00:41 +0000

After a three-and-a-half month search, Patagonia has named its new CEO. Ryan Gellert will rise from within the company’s ranks to take on the new role. For more than five years, Gellert has served as the brand’s general manager of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).

Before that, Gellert worked in various roles at Black Diamond for almost nine years. He has also served on the board of Protect Our Winters and the Access Fund.

According to a press release, Patagonia’s board of directors, in naming Gellert, determined that his deep commitment to the company’s mission and long-held values, as well as his international experience, best positioned Patagonia for success in these uncertain times. The company also says that Gellert’s attentiveness and dedication to seeing others excel, and his passion for Patagonia’s product and activism, made him the right choice for the organization’s next chapter.

His colleagues agree. “Ryan came on as our GM in Europe six years ago and was handed a Patagonia crash course in building a team, bolstering our values internally and externally, managing an extremely important part of our business, and launching our mission – saving our home planet,” Bruce Old, head of Patagonia wholesale, told ��ԹϺ�� Business Journal. “Not only did he build an amazing organization in Europe but his perspective and opinions have been valued throughout the company for quite some time. I’ve certainly welcomed and benefited from his advice many times over. Ryan knows us very well and I look forward to not losing a step as we balance our business and our mission.”

Gellert succeeds Rose Marcario, who led the company for 12 years and resigned unexpectedly back in in June 2020. “Circumstances around the pandemic created a natural inflection point for reimagining our business,” Patagonia told OBJ at the time. During Marcario’s tenure, sales at Patagonia quadrupled revenue. She was also behind the launch of sustainable food company Patagonia Provisions as well as the brand’s amped up activism and strong political stances.

COO Doug Freeman had been acting as interim CEO during the search.

Gellert, 48, a passionate climber and snowboarder, will likely carry those torches, which have become a hallmark of the billion+-dollar company. In an interview with Fast Company, he spoke about the company’s upcoming Spring 21 initiative on renewable energy, which he became interested in during his time in Europe.

“I am honored and humbled by the opportunity and keenly aware of the responsibility to lead this company in this critical time,” said Gellert in the press release. “No one’s expectations of Patagonia are higher than our own. Everything we do needs to ladder back to our mission of being in business to save our home planet, and we need to do that in a way that is just, equitable and inclusive of all people. Ambitions don’t get much bigger than that. And while there will be more tough days ahead as we challenge norms, I am excited to do the work alongside Patagonia’s talented and passionate professionals. And, I am certain we will also have some fun along the way.”