A great read on purpose and mission of Patagonia in the latest issue of Inc. (July/August 2014) from Bo Burlingham.
About Patagonia:
"Not so long ago, it was almost unheard of for a business to put its social and environmental mission ahead of making a profit. One of the first entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo was Yvon Chouinard, who founded Patagonia in 1972. These days, the company, which makes outdoor apparel and gear, has annual sales of $575 million and about 1,500 employees. And more than 1,200 companies have joined Chouinard's initiative to donate 1 percent of sales (not profits) to environmental causes. "
And some quotes from the founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard:
"When you do things like everybody else and things go bad, it's like being in the middle of a pack of lemmings."
"Our first mission statement was just to make the best product, period... That's our mission now and for the next 100 years: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use our business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis."