Say you want to buy a product.
What if this product
- is built to last
- comes with a lifetime warranty
- is recycled after it is well-worn
- is fixable if it was to break somehow
- is made with the environment in mind
So you buy this product and after 10 years it’s finally worn out. You can contact the company and they will help you recycle the worn product into something new. Or, you might not like the style anymore after five years. In that case the vendor will help you sell it to someone else.
Sounds amazing to me. Yet, i can’t help but wonder, should this not be the norm?
This afternoon I listened to NPR’s ‘How I Built this‘ podcast episode of dec. 12, 2016. It’s an interview with mr Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia. The episode is embedded at the bottom of this post.
Over decades of growth, he has implemented a unique philosophy about business, leadership and profit.
The talk inspired me. For customers, they make really good products. They care about the things they make, they care about their employees and they care about the environment. Makes me want to buy their stuff. Except, they don’t want me to 😉
There are two ways to grow: grow fat or grow strong
Listen the podcast here: