Patagonia's Fiery Week: CEO Blasts EPA, Wading Gear Wows, Mining Woes
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Patagonia's Fiery Week: CEO Blasts EPA, Wading Gear Wows, Mining Woes
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Patagonia’s week has been anything but quiet and the headlines say it all. On August 5, Fortune broke the story with Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert sharply accusing EPA head Lee Zeldin of endangering American business and public welfare by reversing a 16-year-old climate protection ruling. Gellert did not hold back, calling the deregulation performative, unpredictable, and a major threat to every company with science-based emissions goals. His warning that the market will respond if policymakers abdicate climate responsibility was echoed by outlets like Ecotextile News and Coin World, where founder Yvon Chouinard described the EPA's move as Orwellian and challenged both businesses and Wall Street to resist ‘greenhushing’. The CEO pointed to last year’s $182-billion in climate-related disaster damages, pressing leaders to keep decarbonizing regardless of political winds.
Meanwhile, in the Patagonia Mountains of southern Arizona, the ecotourism-focused town of Patagonia is locked in a high-stakes standoff with South32’s controversial Hermosa mine project. As South32 pushes for a new fast-track permit, residents are getting letters informing them their water is at risk. Locals, visibly skeptical of the company's assurances, bristle at signing any agreements and worry about the looming threat to their wildlife-rich oasis. The mayor says only vigilant public pressure gets companies to show their cards. Decades after the original mining boom, Patagonia now leans hard on nature-based tourism, with University of Arizona figures showing $121.7 million in annual revenue and more than a thousand jobs hanging in the balance if the water table lowers.
On the business front, Patagonia dropped news of its 2026 fly fishing gear line, sparking buzz in specialty media like Midcurrent. The highlights include upgraded Swiftcurrent Traverse Wading Pants made entirely of recycled material and River Salt Wading Boots II engineered for both saltwater and freshwater. Their new Capilene Cool Sun Tops claim UPF 40 plus protection without chemical treatment, reinforcing Patagonia’s green cred literally from the ground up.
Social media gave the Nano Puff loyalists a jolt when a popular Instagram post teased a fit and fabric update, pitching now as the time to snag the original at a steep discount. In a different channel, wownews24x7 touted Patagonia’s $1B brand, emphasizing the company’s under-the-radar devotion to making less and fixing more as the secret to its sustainability allure.
Across the globe, Patagonia Lithium opened a new entitlement rights issue for its projects in Argentina, marking a busy week for that namesake but unrelated business. No verified Patagonia leadership sightings or surprise public appearances have emerged, and there’s no evidence of scandals—just a steady, spotlighted campaign to fight for climate progress while doubling down on technical gear and environmental storytelling.
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