While most retailers are using Black Friday to move into the black, one company is heading into the green, adding that it’s “more important now than ever.”
Patagonia said it will be donating all of its Black Friday sales to grassroots, environmentally focused groups that protect local community natural resources.
The company’s CEO, Rose Marcario, published on the business’ “The Cleanest Line” blog: “As people think generously about family and friends, we also want to help our customers show love to the planet, which badly needs a gift or two.”
These Black Friday gifts will be going to small groups, which are typically underfunded, under the radar and have workers on the “front lines.”
The anticipated amount that the outdoor retailer is expected to bring in and donate, according to CNNMoney, is around $2 million.
Some sources say the reason behind this green-focused contribution is the election. In the blog post, Marcario wrote: “During a difficult and divisive time, we felt it was important to go further and connect more of our customers … The threats facing our planet affect people of every political stripe, of every demographic, in every part of the country. We all stand to benefit from a healthy environment — and our children and grandchildren do, too.”
There is speculation as to President-Elect Donald Trump’s plans for helping and protecting the environment and the causes that protect those efforts. Some say he may have plans to eliminate all climate change research related to NASA and curtail the reach and authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
In the interim, as Patagonia opens its doors on Black Friday, its donation initiative is on top of the year-long donation of 1 percent of its sales, which, to date, has amounted to $74 million.
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