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Patagonia Guest Lecture
I think one of the biggest takeaways from Rick Ridgeway’s presentation is not only applicable to
the business world, but to everyone. Patagonia strives to do as much as they can to promote taking care of
our world. They saw the effects of deforestation, overgrazing, and receding glaciers and felt “morally
obligated to do something about it”. Another important takeaway is being honest with customers about the
products a company is putting into their hands. Patagonia ran an ad with the headline “Don’t buy this
jacket”. Within the ad, there was all the statistics that were relevant to the jacket’s environmental footprint.
They did this because they wanted consumers to know even though they were doing everything they could
to reduce environmental impacts, everything has a footprint. Rick also mentioned the power of one
individual is greater than one would imagine, “to do good you actually have to do something”.
I believe businesses have a large responsibility to be ethical, large businesses especially.
Businesses have an influence on the general public very comparable to the influence public figures have. A
significant reason for Patagonia’s loyal customers is that they try to do their part for the world and then
additional on top of that. Not only is the company itself affected by its ethical decisions, but customers,
competitors, and surrounding communities are all affected as well. In regards to environmental
sustainability specifically, a company making unethical decisions is potentially harming future generations
as well.
My interpretation of social responsibility is the same as the definition given in the textbook, “how
an organization responds to the needs of many elements…” This can include the community around them,
the environment, their customers, and especially their employees. If a company goes above and beyond to
care for the areas they impact while remaining ethical, they are socially responsible. Social responsibility
impacts all sectors. It makes the world a better place by taking care of their surroundings. When one
