Merchology is proud to announce that we are now officially members of 1% For The Planet! As a part of our membership, we will be donating 1% of revenue we earn on the Patagonia brand to grassroots, non-profit organizations focusing on environmental causes. What is 1% For The Planet? It is an alliance of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet. Overall since inception, 1% FTP has given back more than $175M to the environment. Wow! Merchology and our fellow 1% FTP members firmly believe that the care and improvement of our environment is a responsibility that falls to government, individuals, and businesses alike.
1% For The Planet was founded in 2001 by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies. Both men had strong beliefs and evidence that serious environmental commitment had brought great success to their businesses. They wanted to inspire and unify other companies to help address the current environmental crisis while building successful companies at the same time. Chouinard refers to its donations as an “earth tax,” recognizing that the company he runs has a duty to give back to the earth and the natural resources it uses to make and market its products.
We learned about 1% FTP from Patagonia as a part of our deep partnership with the brand. Long before 1% FTP was launched, dating as far back as 1985, Patagonia has contributed 10% of its pre-tax profits OR 1% of its sales (whichever is greater) to environmental causes. Last year, it took its dedication a step further. For Black Friday 2016, Patagonia committed to donating 100% of its global retail and online sales earned that day to 1% FTP, calling it a “fundraiser for the earth.” They expected to reach $2M in sales, but ended up reaching a record-breaking $10M in sales on that day. This admirable display of leadership and tremendous consumer response inspired us at Merchology to take action and become members ourselves!
If you buy your co-branded Patagonia from Merchology, you can feel good about the fact that your purchase is giving back two-fold – Merchology will donate 1% of the revenue earned to environmental causes, and Patagonia will in turn give another 1% of the revenue it earns on the purchase back as well.
We hope this inspires you and your company to learn more about this grassroots effort, or at the very least to increase your loyalty to the Patagonia brand! Check out www.onepercentfortheplanet.org to learn how your company can get involved with giving back to the earth. Remember that change always starts with us!