Central Coast Company Making Global Environmental Impact - KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News

Central Coast Company Making Global Environmental Impact

VENTURA - Many hear the word Patagonia and either think of the southernmost part of South America or the outdoor clothing company known for its famous winter fleeces. It's actually an environmentally-conscious, global-minded company, based right here on the Central Coast.

Ventura-based Patagonia has been on a mission since 1972 to change the world, one decision at a time.

Jessica Clayton of Patagonia explains: "Environmentalism is in the DNA of Patagonia. Since day one it's been part of this company. Our founders, Yvon and Malinda Chouinard, they are environmentalists at their core, and they're in business to inspire other businesses and to give more and more money away, so, the more money we make, the more money we give away."

The money they give away is through the alliance they founded, called 1% For the Planet. That's 1% of Patagonia's sales, which equates to about 10% of its profits. All that money goes to the preservation on and natural restoration of the environment, through grants to local non-profit organizations.

And the reach doesn't stop there.

In 1993, Patagonia became the first outdoor clothing manufacturer to use fleece made from post consumer-recycled plastic soda bottles. And since 1996, the company has exclusively used organic cotton.

From fabric to finished product, you the consumer can trace the environmental impact, the carbon footprint of the pieces of Patagonia you buy.

And the global implications all reach back to the Central Coast. Clayton elaborates, "Yvon's been living on the Central Coast and surfing here and fishing here and this has been his home since the 1950's, and it's a great place to have our corporate headquarters."

For more on Patagonia, click here.