The Conservation Goal That Patagonia’s Founder Could Never Meet

For all its contributions to environmental causes, outdoor clothing brand Patagonia Inc. can’t escape its own extractiveness. Every parka it produces is a drain on the planet’s resources. Each adventurer it outfits to climb, ski or paddle is a stress on the natural world.

Founder Yvon Chouinard’s personal struggle with these unavoidable facts has driven him to bear any cost in the name of doing less harm, as long as quality isn’t compromised. Horrified by the environmental hazards of conventional cotton farming, he ordered the company to make the expensive switch to organic. But he quickly halted the use ...