
Patagonia's Vincent Stanley on The Future of the Responsible Company
09/12/23 • 55 min
Sponsored by: ImpactAISummit
“The Future of the Responsible Company - What We've Learned From Patagonia’s First 50 Years” is a book being released today that was co-written by Patagonia Director of Philosophy Vincent Stanley and founder Yvon Chouinard. Stanley joins the podcast to talk about why the book, which is an update to a similar title that the duo released a decade ago, is even more important amid today's corporate, environmental and political landscape. The book is full of sage advice for people who want to conduct business with an eye on more than just profits and it also reveals some surprising details about the origin of Patagonia. Stanley also spendd a few minutes sharing his advice for startups and other companies that might want to follow in the footsteps of Patagonia's amazing corporate evolution.
More resources
Patagonia's Our FootprintHighlight from Vincent StanleyThe Future of the Responsible Company - 3:31
How Patagonia got into the clothing business - 7:10
From startup to business travel conversations - 9:00
Shareholder primacy - 13:19
Measuring GDP vs TBL (triple bottom line) - 14:44
The B corp movement is expanding - 17:50
The fascinating business model of the Henokiens - 20:20
The process of finding responsible suppliers and farmers - 25:53
'Living in a world of fewer, better things' - 28:06
Expanding 'healthful' decision-making beyond food purchases - 31:04
'Strategy starts with the real story' - 31:40
Collaborating with outside organizations like Samsung - 37:11
Advice for startups who want to follow in Patagonia's footsteps - 40:19
The power of word choice in communication - 43:40
The history of "Our Footprint" - 46:09
Sustainability and the role of agency - 50:10
Sponsored by: ImpactAISummit
“The Future of the Responsible Company - What We've Learned From Patagonia’s First 50 Years” is a book being released today that was co-written by Patagonia Director of Philosophy Vincent Stanley and founder Yvon Chouinard. Stanley joins the podcast to talk about why the book, which is an update to a similar title that the duo released a decade ago, is even more important amid today's corporate, environmental and political landscape. The book is full of sage advice for people who want to conduct business with an eye on more than just profits and it also reveals some surprising details about the origin of Patagonia. Stanley also spendd a few minutes sharing his advice for startups and other companies that might want to follow in the footsteps of Patagonia's amazing corporate evolution.
More resources
Patagonia's Our FootprintHighlight from Vincent StanleyThe Future of the Responsible Company - 3:31
How Patagonia got into the clothing business - 7:10
From startup to business travel conversations - 9:00
Shareholder primacy - 13:19
Measuring GDP vs TBL (triple bottom line) - 14:44
The B corp movement is expanding - 17:50
The fascinating business model of the Henokiens - 20:20
The process of finding responsible suppliers and farmers - 25:53
'Living in a world of fewer, better things' - 28:06
Expanding 'healthful' decision-making beyond food purchases - 31:04
'Strategy starts with the real story' - 31:40
Collaborating with outside organizations like Samsung - 37:11
Advice for startups who want to follow in Patagonia's footsteps - 40:19
The power of word choice in communication - 43:40
The history of "Our Footprint" - 46:09
Sustainability and the role of agency - 50:10
Previous Episode

Panasonic's Andrea Murphy on Taking A Regenerative Approach to Circular Supply Chains
Sponsored by: ImpactAISummit
Andrea Murphy, the Director of the Office of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability at Panasonic North America, joins the show to walk us through how a global company like Panasonic aims to boost the role it plays in the circular economy. Panasonic is aware of the amount of emissions generated by the manufacture and use of its products ... and to the company’s credit, they’ve even put an actual number on it. Andrea is here to outline what Panasonic is doing to reduce the environmental impact the company creates not just up and down its supply chain, but also once it's products are sold to consumers.
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Colgate-Palmolive's Vance Merolla on Squeezing the Most Out of Sustainability Efforts
Few companies produce as many household products as Colgate-Palmolive. Vance Merolla is the Senior Vice President of Global Sustainability at Colgate-Palmolive and he joins the show to discuss how the company tackles sustainability across all its products and brands. And make no mistake, we're talking about a ton of brands. Obviously, there's Colgate and Palmolive. But there's also Ajax, Speed Stick, Murphy Oil Soap, Fabuloso, Tom's of Maine and Irish Spring. They also have an entire line of pet products.
Colgate-Palmolive has big sustainability challenges. Vance is here to talk about how they solve them, including advancements in recyclable toothpaste tubes, what the company learned from getting certain aspects of its Sustainability and Social Impact Strategy approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative and how Vance and the team recently went about signing a virtual power purchase agreement to help Colgate-Palmolive power its operations. Vance has a wealth of sustainability knowledge, so enjoy the show.
Highlights from Vance Merolla
Colgate's 2025 sustainability and social impact strategy - (1:59)
Setting science-based targets for net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 - (4:39)
Reducing emissions and achieving net-zero goals - (7:38)
Sustainability data management - (11:22)
Renewable energy purchasing strategy for Colgate Palmolive - (14:43)
Oral health initiatives and sustainability efforts - (21:55)
Making toothpaste tubes recyclable - (24:41)
Reducing plastic waste in Colgate's manufacturing facilities - (29:58)
Sustainability initiatives and consumer insights - (32:52)
Sustainability SmartPod - Patagonia's Vincent Stanley on The Future of the Responsible Company
Transcript
(Note: This transcript was created using artificial intelligence. It has not been edited verbatim.)
Sean McMahon 00:00
This episode is brought to you by AI Impact. AI Impact is a new virtual event that will separate hype from reality and deliver insights into how industries and business functions will be enhanced and tested in the age of AI. Featuring thought provoking keynote speeches, and exclusive discussions with world renowned AI experts. This event will provide the know
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