The Future of the Responsible Company: What We've Learned from Patagonia's First 50 Years by Vincent Stanley with Yvon Chouinard is an instructive guide articulating the essential elements of business responsibility for these ecologically perilous times--and it is far more ambitious than a traditional business book. Defying "the god of consumer spending and its gospel of growth," the authors challenge organizations to prioritize not only shareholders and customers, but also workers, the community, and--most critically of all--the Earth. Stanley is Patagonia's director of philosophy and its longtime chief storyteller, and Chouinard is its adventure-loving founder. They didn't set out to make Patagonia into an environmentally and socially responsible company; they "stumbled into virtue after discovering we were causing harm," successfully transforming Patagonia into an activist company "in business to save our home planet," as enshrined in the apparel maker's mission statement.
The authors explore what it means to offer employees "meaningful work," so that they love their jobs while also having a positive impact on the world. Committed to not extracting Earth's precious, rapidly depleting resources for the goods they sell, Patagonia's business model focuses on reusing and recycling existing materials to make high-quality, well-designed gear that will last a long time. As the authors wisely point out, "the greenest product is often the one the customer doesn't have to replace." The Future of the Responsible Company, featuring gorgeous color photos capturing nature's glory, concludes with a detailed checklist for creating an environmentally responsible business model, the ultimate yardstick being: What practices will "restore the Earth and its oceans and strengthen human society?" --Shahina Piyarali, reviewer