Buying Less

Want to know what’s on my mind? In the season of gift purchasing (spending was at a record high of $52 billion on Black Friday, didn’t you hear?), the last thing you’d expect to hear is a plea to please buy fewer items.

That’s why I was intrigued to learn of Patagonia’s latest campaign, which debuted for the Black Friday shoppers:

 (source)

Patagonia offers more explanation in their blog post about the Common Threads Initiative

“The most challenging, and important, element of the Common Threads Initiative is this: to lighten our environmental footprint, everyone needs to consume less. Businesses need to make fewer things but of higher quality. Customers need to think twice before they buy.”
(source)

My first reaction was…cool. In an uncertain economic year (but let’s be honest, when is it ever a “certain” year?), one popular company decided to stand out from the rest by encouraging its loyal followers to consume less. Companies exist to make money. They make money by distributing products into consumer’s hands.

This made me consider Patagonia’s consumer base. Though their products aren’t terribly overpriced ($100-200 range for a well-built jacket), 

“it’s folly to assume that a healthy economy can be based on buying and selling more and more things people don’t need – and it’s time for people who believe that’s folly to say so.”