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1% FOR THE PLANET

1% FOR THE PLANET

   
GIVING BACK TO NATURE

“If we just take, take, take and give nothing back, we're going to have nothing left,” says Yvon Chouinard, founder of the outdoor brand Patagonia. It’s been nearly 20 years since he and fly-fishing expert Craig Mathews joined forces, brainstorming about what can be done to save threatened wild places and ultimately establishing 1% for the Planet. The main thought behind it was this: Because companies profit from the resources they take from the earth, they should protect those resources. But most businesspeople don’t have the time or the knowledge to do so effectively. That’s where 1% for the Planet comes in. A company can designate to have one percent of its annual sales, or a share of the revenue from a specific product line, go to the initiative as a donation, which in turn funds carefully vetted environmental projects worldwide. We donate 10% of revenues from our new Infiniti series. This product line was born out of our commitment to sustainability. It includes backpacks, bike covers, lifestyle bags, and dirtbags that are made using remnants from the manufacture of three million deuter products each year. We think it only makes sense. The fabric scraps we repurpose each year for the Infiniti series would cover five soccer fields.

Go to 1% for the planet

1% for the Planet is based on the idea that our world will be a better, healthier place if people and businesses alike take responsibility for it. Membership is open to all companies. 1% for the Planet ensures that contributions are efficiently invested in trustworthy, high-impact projects. The initiative also helps its members align their business strategy to be more sustainable. We think the concept of connecting companies with NGOs and environmental organizations operating around the world is the way forward. That is why we joined 1% for the Planet. This partnership assures us that our donations will have a broad regional and even global impact. Individuals can also join 1% for the Planet.

Yvon Chouinard said: “If you could get businesses to understand that they have more responsibility than to maximize profits for the shareholders, or for themselves – that they have a responsibility to the planet. we all do.”  He sees 1% for the Planet donations as a sort of admission fee that we all should pay in order to be allowed to do business on Earth. Since we’re an outdoor equipment company, this idea especially holds true for us. With our membership, we want to show our customers and employees that we get it. Just think about this: If the world’s 100 most profitable companies participated, they would generate well over 100 billion dollars a year for environmental projects.

We’ve still got a long way to go to reach that figure. But still, over the last 20 years 1% for the Planet has become established as one of the most respected environmental initiatives worldwide. More than 3,000 companies of all sizes have joined. And they’re proving that together, we are strong. Together, we’ve supported environmental non-profits with more than a quarter of a billion US dollars so far. Every deuter Infiniti series product contributes to this successful movement. That inspires us to do more. 1% for the Planet supports carefully selected partners who use proven methods to effect change in six areas of environmental protection: climate, land, water, food, pollution, and wildlife and biodiversity.

We have chosen the environmental organization One Earth - One Ocean e.V. (oeoo). With our donation, we support their concept of "Maritime Garbage Collection", which frees waters worldwide from plastic waste (as well as oil and chemicals). This is an issue that concerns us all, because every year more than 10 million tons of waste end up in the world's oceans. Already today, more than 150 million tons of plastic waste have accumulated in the oceans worldwide. This decomposes into tiny microplastic particles, which also enter our food chain through the food intake of fish. An estimated 4 billion plastic particles per square kilometer are already in the world's oceans, harming not only the fragile ecosystem but also us humans in particular.

Here you can learn more about the project we support and what you can do yourself against plastic waste.