You may recall that in June 2020, Patagonia joined other companies and retailers in shutting down all paid advertising on Facebook due to alleged hate speech and misinformation about civil rights issues, democracy and climate action. Patagonia’s boycott continues 16 months later, and while the company acknowledges that the decision has hurt the brand’s business and the environmental nonprofits it supports – whose campaigns benefit from the social media amplification – it has since learned to adapt. “We are smarter and savvier in how we grow our community as a result of this advertising ban,” Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia, wrote in a statement. “The internal Facebook documents released over the last few weeks have made it incredibly clear that they know the irreparable damage that their lack of accountability causes their three billion users and the corrosive effects that has on society itself. Facebook’s executives know what steps it can take to mitigate such harm – yet they have repeatedly failed to reform.” Patagonia will continue to boycott ads on the platform until Facebook recognizes it has a responsibility to ensure its products do no harm. “We encourage other businesses to join us in pushing Facebook to prioritize people and planet over profit,“ Gellert wrote.
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