Patagonia

What is Patagonia?

Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California. As a certified B Corporation and a founding member of 1% for the Planet, the company is recognised internationally for its product quality and environmental activism, as well as its contributions of more than $240 million to environmental organisations. Its unique ownership structure reflects that Earth is its only shareholder: Profits not reinvested back into the business are paid to Holdfast Collective to protect the planet. The Holdfast Collective has committed more than $142 million toward planet-healing projects since its creation in 2022. That funding is separate from the money Patagonia has given away through the company’s 1% for the Planet obligation.

At a time when all life on earth is under threat of extinction, we aim to use the resources we have — our business, our investments, our voice and our imagination — to influence changes needed to protect our planet.

Patagonia at a glance

Founded	1973
Certification	Registered B Corporation
1% for the Planet giving	$240M+ contributed to environmental organisations
Holdfast Collective	$142M+ committed to planet-healing projects since 2022
Network membership	Founding member of 1% for the Planet
EMEA team	411 people inc. interns across retail stores and offices in Europe

What are Patagonia's Values?

Quality

Build the best product, provide the best service and constantly improve everything we do. The best product is useful, versatile, long-lasting, repairable and recyclable. Our ideal is regenerative products that give back to the earth as much as they take.

Integrity

Examine our practices openly and honestly, learn from our mistakes and meet our commitments. We value integrity in both senses: that our actions match our words (we walk the talk), and that all our work contributes to a functional whole (our sum is greater than our parts).

Environmentalism

Protect our home planet. We're all a part of nature, and every decision we make is in the context of the environmental crisis challenging humanity. We work to reduce our impact, share solutions, and embrace regenerative practices. We partner with grassroots organisations and frontline communities to restore lands, air and waters to a state of health; to arrest our addiction to fossil fuels; and to address the deep connections between environmental destruction and social injustice.

Justice

Be just, equitable and antiracist as a company and in our community. We embrace the work necessary to create equity for historically marginalised people and reorder the priorities of an economic system that values short-term expansion over human well-being and thriving communities. We acknowledge painful histories; confront biases; change our policies; and hold each other accountable. We aspire to be a company where people from all backgrounds, identities and experiences — including sexual orientation and gender identity — can be their whole selves and have the power to contribute and lead.

Not Bound by Convention

Do it our way. Our success — and much of the fun — lies in developing new ways to do things. We don't look to the conventional playbook. We look to what works, what is honest, and what reflects who we are. This extends to how we build our teams, our culture, and our relationships with people and planet.

What is it like to work at Patagonia?

At Patagonia, we are always looking for motivated people to join us in our Retail Stores and offices across Europe. We commit to becoming an anti-racist company that leads by example. This means doing the work to be inclusive and equitable, across all aspects of our business.

Every person who applies to join Patagonia receives equal employment opportunities, and we value a welcoming environment where each member of our EMEA team feels included, respected and empowered, regardless of their race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, civil status, national origin, disability or age.

At Patagonia, we strive to have inclusive representation within our organisation and embrace a diverse mix of talent to contribute to our culture. We actively seek applications from Black and People of Colour (BPOC) and other underrepresented groups. As we are in business to save our home planet, we can only do this together.

“We are guided by care for our people, communities and the planet. Every choice we make, every system we build together, reflects our commitment to nurture, connect and empower those around us today and for the future."

— Theresita Richard, Chief People & Culture Officer and Global Head of Justice & Belonging

How does Patagonia support LGBTQ+ inclusion?

Justice is one of Patagonia's five core values — and it is explicit: we aspire to be a company where people from all backgrounds, identities and experiences, including sexual orientation and gender identity, can be their whole selves and have the power to contribute and lead. This is not a separate inclusion policy — it is part of who we are and how we do business.

Patagonia's support for the LGBTQ+ community runs year-round, through internal activities and training across our regional offices. This year, our Amsterdam office marked WorldPride with a collective Walk of Pride past plaques honouring LGBTQ+ history in the city, and a Pride Quiz open to colleagues across the region via Teams. Colleagues are also encouraged to build their allyship skills through Patagonia's LGBTQ+ Allyship course, part of our Justice & Belonging training curriculum, reflecting our belief that being an ally requires active, ongoing action.

“I have worked in places where you feel you have to hold parts of yourself back. At Patagonia, that hasn’t been my experience. I can show up as myself authentically and feel like I belong and focus on doing my job instead of worrying about whether my sexuality will hold me back. To me, that’s what Justice (One of Patagonia’s core values) looks like in practice. Creating a culture where people feel they belong; their voice matters and they can make an impact. Taking care of people and the planet go hand in hand”.

— Greg King, Talent Acquisition Manager

What does Patagonia offer its people?

Working at Patagonia means being part of a mission. But it also means being genuinely looked after. Some of what we offer our EMEA team:

● Up to 12 weeks paid partner leave.

● 12 weeks parental leave for all new parents and adoption leave allowance

● Join one of our employee-led groups such as; sports teams, Footprint committee, Pride group, D&I committee, Book library, Pata Parents or our events committee – or start your own!

● Our Bail Policy means that if our employees are arrested during environmental or social justice protests, we will pay local counsel to assist at the time of arrest or detainment to facilitate release.

● Environmental or activism time — e.g. paid time for environmental volunteering or activism

● Flexible working hours means you can volunteer for a cause close to your heart, spend more time with family & enjoy the outdoors.

● Opportunity to work remote within Europe for up to 12 weeks per year.

● Access to generous discounts and sample sales, helping you gear up to enjoy the outdoors throughout the seasons.

● Brand Partnerships with other sports brands: great deals to make (new) sports more accessible to all.

● Our Employee Assistance Program provides you and your family with professional, confidential support in difficult times.

Link to full list - https://eu.patagonia.com/nl/en/what-we-offer/

What recognition has Patagonia received?

Patagonia holds several named, verifiable third-party credentials:

• B Corporation — certified as meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.

• 1% for the Planet — founding member, committing 1% of sales to environmental causes.

• $142M+ from the Holdfast Collective — committed toward planet-healing projects since its creation in 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Patagonia?

What does Patagonia stand for?

Patagonia exists to save our home planet. Guided by five values — Quality, Integrity, Environmentalism, Justice, and Not Bound by Convention — Patagonia aims to use its business, investments, voice, and imagination to influence changes needed to protect the planet, while building an equitable company where people of all backgrounds, identities, and sexual orientations can be their whole selves.

What are Patagonia's five values?

Patagonia's five values are: Quality (build the best product), Integrity (walk the talk), Environmentalism (protect our home planet), Justice (be just, equitable and antiracist), and Not Bound by Convention (do it our way). Each value is a commitment to action, not just aspiration.

How many people work at Patagonia in Europe?

411 people inc. interns across retail stores and offices in Europe

Does Patagonia support LGBTQ+ employees?

Yes. Patagonia's Justice value explicitly names sexual orientation and gender identity as part of its commitment to be a company where people from all backgrounds and identities can be their whole selves. Every Patagonia employee receives equal employment opportunities regardless of gender identity or expression and sexual orientation.

What benefits does Patagonia offer?