The Responsible Economy

We at Patagonia, like all business people, know that long-term income has to exceed long-term expense. To do otherwise is to go bankrupt, as Ernest Hemingway described,in the usual two ways: “Gradually, then suddenly.” Today we are using the equivalent resources of one and a half planets, yet we live on only one. All the indicators of earthly health are in decline: of water, air, arable land, fisheries and biodiversity. How do we reverse this decline in the quality of life (and attendant climate change) before it becomes sudden catastrophe? Most conversations addressing that question hone in on technological solutions. Each year we attend sustainability conferences where the talk centers on innovation as the way to lower resource use and waste. But at these conferences, among decent people doing their best, there is always an elephant in the room, concealed behind a curtain few are willing to draw to the side. The elephant is growth-based capitalism, and the assumption that a growth economy equals prosperity and a healthy society. Yet we know we must consume less, and far more slowly – as well as innovate as quickly and ingeniously as we can. What is a responsible economy? One that allows healthy communities, creates meaningful work, and takes from the earth only what it can replenish—one where all the indicators of health start to improve. What would make up this economy? What could a responsible economy look like? That’s the question we’ll explore with ourfriends and customers during the coming seasons.