Patagonia has announced the scheduled release of “The Shitthropocene” — a new film set to premier on Monday, April 29, on Patagonia.com. The film offers a humorous, thought-provoking anthropological exploration of humanity’s consumption habits, turning a satirical yet brutally honest eye on how everything is turning to shit and why the impulse toward buying more crap might destroy us all.
Running for 45 minutes, you should be prepared for some lively moments, including dancing cave people.
While it might seem unnatural, unusual or inauthentic for a brand to tell its community only to buy what they need and not more, that's been a core message at Patagonia since the start. Over 50 years ago, our founders knew that the gear they made had to be of the highest quality or someone might get hurt. And then, another evolution: If what we sold wasn’t of the highest quality, it was just more crap that no one needed.
Soon, this turned into a commitment to using business as a tool for good and showing how a company can make a profit while operating responsibly. In practice, this meant making items that are functional, repairable and timeless with the lowest environmental impact and done by people being treated and paid fairly. But it’s also making films like “The Shitthropocene” and asking our community to demand quality products and keep gear in play for longer through resale and repair.
As Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard wrote last year in a New York Times essay, “People ask me how [Patagonia] has managed to stick around so long…I tell them it’s been our unrelenting focus on quality, which includes making things that last and that cause the least amount of harm to our planet.”
Tour dates can be found here.
If you would like to screen the film, please fill out this request form