To embrace the holiday spirit, the outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia is donating 100% of its global Black Friday sales to charity.
Patagonia CEO Rose Marcarioa explained in a company blog post that the retailer would give the money to grassroots environmental groups that are “working in local communities to protect our air, water and soil for future generations.” “These are small groups, often underfunded and under the radar, who work on the front lines,” she wrote. “The support we can give is more important now than ever.”
Donations will include sales made from both the retailer’s website and global stores and are estimated to raise over $2 million, Corley Kenna, the global director and communications and public relations at Patagonia, told Fortune in an email. This is the first time the company has ever done something like this, according to Kenna.
Inspiration for the charitable act came “following the election,” Kenna added.
“The idea emerged from a brainstorming session as the company considered how to respond to the outcome of the presidential election as a way to keep climate changes and issues affecting our air, water and soil top of mind,” she said. “We felt it was important to go further and connect more of our customers, who love wild places, with those fighting tirelessly to protect them.”
It may be a Black Friday first for Patagonia, but the company already donates 1% of its daily sales to grassroots environmental organizations, according to Marcario—an amount which totals $74 million to-date.
“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,” Marcario wrote.
