Patagonia’s Black Friday campaign raises $20m for environmental causes

Outdoor clothing company Patagonia's Black Friday fundraiser for environmental organisations has hit its $10m (£7.6m) target in just 17 days - meaning the firm will now donate $10m of its own to these causes.


Patagonia’s Black Friday campaign raises $20m for environmental causes

Organisations set to benefit from the donations include The Rivers Trust

Launched in late November as part of its Patagonia Action Works platform, the campaign was visible on Patagonia’s website and in its US, UK and EU stores. It encouraged members of the public across the world to donate to grassroots organisations working to preserve and restore nature, assuring viewers that Patagonia would match donations up to $10m.

Patagonia initially set a target deadline of 31 December to raise the sum, but announced on Wednesday (18 December) that it had been met almost two weeks ahead of schedule.

The money will be divided between more than 100 environmental NGOs working across the areas of biodiversity, climate, communities, land and water. On a European basis, the campaign will enable Patagonia to more than double the funding it donates to grassroots NGOs in 2020.

“The enthusiasm of our community to donate in their thousands, in support of environmental protectors, is something we never anticipated,” Patagonia’s director of environmental initiatives for Europe, Mihela Hladin Wolfe, said.

“To face the crisis ahead we will need vigorous collective action – something that this campaign has demonstrated in spades.”

Action Works

Patagonia initially launched Action Works to its US audience in 2018, in a bid to get its customers involved with events, petitions, fundraising and volunteering in their local area.

The model, which builds on Patagonia’s long-standing internal commitment to donate 1% of profits to environmental causes, proved a huge success and was rolled out to the company’s European markets this September.

The expansion coincided with the global climate strikes on 20 September. Patagonia  encouraged staff to take part, with company president Rose Marcario maintaining that she draws continual inspiration from “the youth activists who have led a global movement”

In London, Patagonia marked the expansion of Action Works by hosting a pop-up café, where visitors were able to access climate activist training courses and other events and resources.

Sarah George

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