Meaningful Companies

DAVINES TALKS

How to manage a company with a purpose? We talked about it with Vincent Stanley, Head of Philosophy of Patagonia

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On Tuesday June 24th 2019, we had the pleasure of hosting Debra Dunn, Professor at Stanford University and member of the Board of Directors of B Lab at the Davines Village; Nora Gallagher, Environmental Strategist of Patagoniaand Vincent Stanley, Head of Philosophy of Patagonia.

The first mission

Patagonia wrote ist first mission in 1991: "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis".

What's Patagonia?

Patagonia, the American company specialized in the production of outdoor sportswear, has always been a source of inspiration for Davines and a fundamental part of the B-Corp movement. Like us, Patagonia puts sustainability at the heart of its businessand, within the Davines Talks format, we involved our guests and our President Davide Bollatiin a conversation on the theme Meaningful companies: how to run a company with a purpose.

The new purpose

Recently, however, Patagonia decided to renew its mission because the need to stop climate change was becoming more and more urgent. The new purpose has therefore become:

“

We're in business to save our home planet.

Norah Gallagher

Environmental Strategist

Patagonia

The power of words

This is a very strong and creative statement. Norah Gallagher, Environmental Strategist of Patagonia, told us that during the internal meeting to present the new mission, a strong positive energy was immediately generated: "It was a very intense emotion, - Norah explained - it always amazes me how it is possible to create commitment and passion only with the right words, everyone felt personally engaged and asked us: 'Okay, I'm there, tell me what to do.' And our answer was: 'This is up to you' because everyone, in his own small way can do something. Everyone can choose which field to engage in and no gesture is irrelevant".

The message was so strong that, in a few months and in almost total autonomy, all the stores made their new purpose their own. The statement was displayed in the speakers or in the shop windows, translated into all the languages of the world. Each store manager communicated to its customers the change in mission, so as to involve the whole community.

Patagonia mission statement

Vincent Stanley

Head of Philosophy

Patagonia

Let's get inspired

"For our brand - added Vincent Stanley, Head of Philosophy in Patagonia- it is essential to inspire. It is necessary that our commitment is communicated and shared by everyone: from management to employees, to our customers. The message must be central for all and it is not a foregone conclusion: it is necessary to educate to sustainability, to do it now for our future. We must have a pole star, have a longer perspective".

Debra Dunn

Professor

Stanford University

The future is in our hands

"I also believe in an alternative system. I live and work in the Silicon Valley - said Debra Dunn, professor at Stanford University - who is considered by many to be the center of greed, of that business world that does not want to have a good idea for everybody, but that only wants to make money fast. Yet, at Stanford there are many young people working to build the alternative: a sustainable business model, rich in values"

Do we have an alternative?

"It is so - said Norah - The current capitalist system is destroying our planet and we need alternatives. Today we are here, at Davines Village, and it is as if we were in a picture from the future: we can work better, things can be different. Davines must be a model and a source of inspiration for other companieswho will have to say: ' I want to be like this, as well".

Make the world a better place, through business

"Exactly, because we must never forget- concluded Vincent - that businessmen are always, in the first place. Some may think that making as much money as possible is their first goal, but most of the entrepreneurs are led by another idea: to do something they love, to improve their lifes and the world in which he live".