Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
This is a standing question in The Guardian's decades-long The Q&A and also recurs independently in career and life interviews.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Robin Barton, profile, The Observer, 25 February 2007 source ↗
I was born in Osaka, Japan. It was 45 years ago. My father has a small factory in Osaka, and we lived next to his factory
An English teacher, and then a dance teacher.
I wanted to perform in some way, but I didn’t think it was viable. Teachers told me I should be a barrister, because I was always arguing with them.
A singer. I wanted to live off music ever since I was a child – a wish that came true when I was over 35 years old.
One option was to sell Patagonia and donate all the money. But we couldn't be sure a new owner would maintain our values or keep our team of people around the world employed. Another path was to take the company public. What a disaster that would have been. Even public companies with good intentions are under too much pressure to create short-term gain at the expense of long-term vitality and responsibility. Truth be told, there were no good options available. So, we created our own.
Invent your own game and that way you can always be a winner.
We can’t delude ourselves into thinking that anything we or any other business does is “sustainable”. The best we can do is minimize the harm we do to the planet. We’ll do what we can to clean up our own house and convince other businesses and suppliers to use cleaner energy and more responsible materials, but it’s a never-ending summit. The work is never done.
I never wanted to be a businessman. I started as a craftsman, making climbing gear for my friends and myself, then got into apparel. As we began to witness the extent of global warming and ecological destruction, and our own contribution to it, Patagonia committed to using our company to change the way business was done. If we could do the right thing while making enough to pay the bills, we could influence customers and other businesses, and maybe change the system along the way.
Everything man does creates more harm than good. We have to accept that fact and not delude ourselves into thinking something is sustainable.
I absolutely don’t believe in doing … focus groups and all that shit. Proctor and Gamble-style, no risk. Just do it
Mellody Hobson, Angela Hartnett, Henry R. Kravis, Bozoma Saint John, Derek Sivers, Gino D'Acampo
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