Not all companies treat their profits equally. Patagonia has once again set a shining example for the corporate world to follow. In December 2019, the Patagonia community raised an incredible $10 million dollars in just over 17 days to help support organizations dedicated to protecting the planet.
It was a powerful moment that once again showed how Patagonia's customers are much more than just a group of people who buy things. They are a community in the truest sense, reinforcing the idea that dollars, brand loyalty, and return customers are more than just empty jargon; they reflect a values system that can make a real difference in the world.
And it works both ways. After the impressive fundraising haul, Patagonia announced they were matching the $10 million, which will go toward supporting 1,043 grassroots environmental organizations.
"We're energized by our community's response," said Lisa Pike Sheehy, who leads Patagonia's environmental activism team, in a statement. "Together we made history—in 17 days, our community raised $10 million for environmental nonprofits. This is extraordinary generosity to some of the most deserving and underappreciated efforts to save the planet."
Patagonia has its own platform, Patagonia Action Works, which allows people to contribute directly to grassroots organizations in their community. It's something the company has been doing for more than 40 years. And now with the power of the Internet and social media, it's a tool that Patagonia's community has taken to the next level.
There was perhaps no greater example of this than in 2018, when Patagonia's CEO Rose Marcario revealed that she was donating the company's entire financial benefit from the Trump tax cut to groups fighting climate change. That donation also equaled $10 million, literally putting a Republican policy into action against other Republican policies that have actively worked to stop groups fighting climate change. It was a brilliant move and one that went wildly viral.
In letter posted to LinkedIn, Patagonia's CEO announced her company is donating all $10 million to non-profit groups who work on issues related to climate change and the environment.
"Based on last year's irresponsible tax cut, Patagonia will owe less in taxes this year—$10 million less, in fact," Marcario wrote. "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."
Marcario referred to the government's own newly released report on climate change, which warns that unless significant changes are made, we could be facing catastrophic and irreversible changes to our planet by 2050. When asked about the report, Trump simply said, "I don't believe it," something Marcario also made a thinly veiled reference to in her post:
"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," she added.
"Taxes protect the most vulnerable in our society, our public lands and other life-giving resources," she added. "In spite of this, the Trump administration initiated a corporate tax cut, threatening these services at the expense of our planet."
Patagonia isn't new to environmental causes. Their "1% for the Planet" program donates profits to environmental projects around the world.
A note on their company site claims Patagonia has donated more than $89 million to such causes since the program first launched.
And CEO Marcario was singled out by the White House, Barack Obama's White House that is, back in 2015 for her efforts to protect the environment.
In response to the Republicans' approach to climate change, Bloomberg notes that Patagonia is getting increasingly political, having endorsed two Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate during the 2018 midterm elections.
Both candidates won. And seeing as money and politics are the two measurements of power most at the forefront of Trump's thinking, Patagonia's latest message is something he and his allies should take note of.
Far more importantly, these kinds of gestures from Patagonia are setting an example of how all companies can and should have a stake in saving our planet. It goes beyond politics and it goes beyond consumerism. But if both are going to be tied to the problem of climate change, then they both also can be directly connected to the solutions needed to stop it.
A woman feeling under the weather lies in bedCanva
A Carbon monoxide alarmCanva
A happy woman sips from a coffee mugCanva
An elderly man walks down an icy roadCanva 
An elderly man grilling at a partyCanva
Two people enjoying a walk through the woods
A woman pets her dogCanva 
A woman stands in front of a window listening to musicCanva
A group of people sit around a circle talkingCanva
A woman sleeping in bedCanva
Woman proudly displays an "I Voted" stickerCanva
A woman's ear with multiple piercingsCanva
A woman takes a bit out of a huge strawberry cakeCanva
The back of a woman's head with silver hair. Canva
A woman watches the sunset from her carCanva
A nurse holds a clipboard in a hospital hallwayCanva
A heavily-tattooed woman holds a mug of coffeeCanva
Stressed out man at workCanva
Stressed employee takes a break from workCanva
Overhead shot of three employees sharing a deskCanva
A pile of cashCanva
A pregnant woman clutches her bellyCanva
An eviction noticeCanva
Supportive Reddit comment Reddit | 
A gavel rests in front of a judgeCanva
Victoria Claflin Woodhull, the first woman to run for president of the United States in 1872rce Harvard Art Museum/Fogg Museum, Historical Photographs and Special Visual Collections Department, Fine Arts Library via 
Suffragists matching for women's right to vote in the early 20th centuryCanva
Female shopper looking for help
21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.