Patagonia Wins Prestigious Webby Award for its Footprint Chronicles

Posted: 06/13/2008 In Category: Outdoor Retail

Written By: Jen Rapp

VENTURA, Calif. (June 13, 2008) — Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company, accepted a prestigious Webby Award for its interactive website, the Footprint Chronicles, at the 12th annual Webby Awards in New York City on June 10th, 2008. Patagonia was awarded the People’s Voice Webby Award in the Corporate Communications category.

The Footprint Chronicles is an interactive website that reveals to consumers the good and the bad involved in manufacturing outdoor clothing such as Synchilla fleece vests and rain shells. Patagonia is the first company to publicly track and expose the social and environmental impact of specific garments. The Webby Awards are often referred to as the Academy Awards of the internet.

“This Webby Award shows us that we are truly making inroads in corporate transparency and the masses are taking note,” said Casey Sheahan, president and CEO of Patagonia. “The fact that the The Footprint Chronicles won the People’s Voice Webby means that our customers and supporters took time out of their schedules to vote for Patagonia. There couldn’t be a stronger validation for our efforts to be transparent and honest in our manufacturing processes.” He points out that the idea behind the website is to encourage thought and discussion. Each season the site examines new products, so that the more that is exposed, the more harmful practices the company can change. Ten products are currently examined on the site. These products represent the breadth of the company’s product line and range from shoes to wool baselayers to technical shells.

The Footprint Chronicles includes more than 35 filmed interviews and slideshows of factory workers, farmers, owners, designers and third-party auditors to provide an unprecedented level of transparency both internally and externally - from the factories and manufacturing partners that create its products, to the end of the product’s lifespan.

Patagonia was in good and spirited company at the 12th Annual Webby Awards ceremony. Other honorees included Stephen Colbert, David Byrne of Talking Heads fame, the BBC and WebMD.

In addition to the recent Webby Award, Patagonia’s Footprint Chronicles has been heralded by The New York Times, Fast Company magazine, TreeHugger.com and The Wall Street Journal.

To get all the info on Patagonia’s Webby Award, visit the Webby Award’s site:

http://webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?season=12

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