CSB Director Tensie Whelan was featured in a CNBC article on Patagonia setting an example for the juxtoposition of sustainability and profitability. Tensie notes that Patagonia is far from the first corporation to be grounded in a charitable mission, such as Newman's Own and alternative models such as B Corps, which surpassed 6,000 certified companies across the world in 2022. But she argues Patagonia is a sophisticated model, and while its exact structure may be unique, many aspects are replicable. Perhaps most importantly, the concept that a business can incorporate sustainability into its foundational strategy while still excelling in other traditional business metrics.

The fact that it was able to become and sustain a $3 billion business is a proof point of the business value of sustainability and the potential of stakeholder capitalism to be financially viable,” Whelan said. “The ‘giving away’ of the company may be an anomaly, but the sustainable and responsible business model is one that we are already seeing replicated.”

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