by Lukas on 19 Jul 2023

Podcast Episode 17 is out: Alex Beasley from Patagonia

You’ve probably heard of Patagonia. Their products adorn outdoor enthusiasts and conscious clothes buyers across the world. Often held up as THE responsible business, Patagonia champion progressive causes and activism across the world. Most radically, in September 2022, Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard, announced that he was transferring ownership of the company into a trust which would use profits to tackle the climate crisis. Alex Beasley, General Manager UK, Ireland and Nordics, joins us for this conversation. He discusses:

• How ‘saying no’ to his father was a big moment in his early life
• The huge value of going to university beyond the subject you study
• How he still considers himself ‘an engineer’ after studying Civil Engineering, despite not working in that industry
• How Patagonia unlocked his ‘little bit radical’ nature
• Why he doesn’t like job titles
• The importance of collaboration, listening, and amplifying each other’s strengths to solve big challenges
• The history of Patagonia, its mission: ‘In business to save our home planet’
• The ‘For profit, not-for-profit model’
• The 1% for the Planet programme and the details of how Patagonia fund hundreds of small impact projects every year
• The story of how Patagonia’s energy in the UK came to be produced entirely on the roof of Streatham Tube Station in London
• How Patagonia encourages Autonomy on both an individual and business level
• How the culture of Patagonia is implemented across the globe
• How Patagonia can be put on a pedestal, and how they want to ‘knock the pedestal away’
• The importance of curiosity to be successful
• Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard, his manifesto for work culture ‘Let My People Go Surfing’, and his decision to give away his business for the benefit of the planet
• The moment Yvon announced this decision to the company, and where Alex was…
• Patagonia’s vision of a circular economy and the decisions they make to champion that
• The huge campaign Patagonia supported to protect the River Vjosa from 260 dams and keep it as the last remaining free flowing river in Europe
• How he feels our economic paradigm needs to change – you can’t have infinite growth on a finite planet
• His criticism of the word ‘consumer’ and ‘consumerism’

Want to appear? Email podcast@standingongiants.com

You can listen to the podcast here: