Axios House: Patagonia shuns ‘sustainable’ company label, CEO says

NEW YORK – The tension between profit and environmental impact raises questions for corporate America about whether business can ever meet the true definition of "sustainable."

• Axios host/editor Niala Boodhoo, energy reporter Ben Geman and senior business reporter Hope King moderated conversations with Climeworks CEO Christoph Gebald; Amazon chief sustainability officer Kara Hurst; Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert; and EILEEN FISHER CEO Lisa Williams at Axios House for Climate Week and UNGA. The event was sponsored by Suntory Global Spirits.

Why it matters: Sustainability commitments have become a key business objective for many companies, but the impact of such pledges varies depending on how leaders see them through.

What they're saying: "We're not a sustainable company, we don't describe ourselves that way," Patagonia's Gellert said.

• "Sustainability is taking less from a system than it can regenerate, and that doesn't define how we are able to run our business today. If anything, we're a responsible company in that we really sweat the details on the decisions that we make," Gellert continued.

Making money while actually doing good for the planet is a difficult thing to do. "It's a constant juggling match to make it happen, and to make it happen in an integrated way," Williams said.

One of the strongest ways the private sector can take action is through their purchasing power, and Hurst said Amazon has invested heavily in renewable energy.

• Amazon made a commitment to be 100% renewable across their global operations by 2030. Hurst said they reached the goal last year, which was well ahead of schedule.

Sponsored content:

In a View From the Top sponsored segment, Maker's Mark managing director Rob Samuels explained how the company's distillery has embraced regenerative agriculture and helped their 26 growers do so, too.

• "We have funded all of the research, all of the education for all 26 of these growers to embrace regenerative agriculture, which is moving away from heavy industrial farming that destroys the topsoil, that heavily relies on pesticides and fertilizers to this regenerative model," Samuels said.