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Incorporating sustainable business practices into company strategy

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  • S. J. Fowler
  • C. Hope

Abstract

Building on Hart's natural resource‐based view of the firm, this paper reports the results of a case study of the privately owned, high‐end outdoor apparel company Patagonia. In this study we examined Hart's three interlinking strategies of pollution prevention, product stewardship and sustainable development, and sought to test whether the resources for their implementation must be accumulated sequentially or whether they can be accumulated in parallel. The case study revealed that Patagonia has made significant progress, and continues to make progress, in each of these three areas. The results also suggested that the company's progress in one area has not necessarily been dependent on progress in another. While acknowledging the limitations of a single case study, we conclude that Patagonia's experience offers strong support for the notion that the resources for implementing strategies towards sustainable development can be accumulated in parallel – as opposed to sequentially. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • S. J. Fowler & C. Hope, 2007. "Incorporating sustainable business practices into company strategy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(1), pages 26-38, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:16:y:2007:i:1:p:26-38
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.462
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