CALIFORNIA – US outdoor brand Patagonia will donate the entire US$10m it saved in taxes last year to non-profits which work on issues related to climate change and the environment. In an impassioned post on social media, the company’s CEO Rose Marcario said: “Based on last year’s irresponsible tax cut, Patagonia will owe less in taxes this year—$10 million less, in fact. Instead of putting the money back into our business, we’re responding by putting $10 million back into the planet. Our home planet needs it more than we do.”
Patagonia has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration and has made no secret in recent months of its endorsement for Democrat candidates. Marcario also mentioned the US government’s own report on climate change, which warns that unless significant changes are made, the planet faces catastrophic and irreversible changes to our planet by 2050.
She added: “Far too many have suffered the consequences of global warming in recent months, and the political response has so far been woefully inadequate—and the denial is just evil.
“Taxes protect the most vulnerable in our society, our public lands and other life-giving resources. In spite of this, the Trump administration initiated a corporate tax cut, threatening these services at the expense of our planet.”
Patagonia is well known for its commitment to backing local environmental groups. The company’s ‘1% for the Planet program donates 1 per cent of all profit from its Black Friday sales environmental projects around the world.