DENVER (CBS4)– The North Face is being celebrated by the very industry it snubbed. The Colorado-based company recently rejected an order for 400 jackets from a Texas oil and gas company because it reportedly didn’t want to be associated with an industry that doesn’t meet its brand standards.
Ironically, the jackets and almost every product The North Face produces and sells is made with nylon, polyester and polyurethane, all of which come from petroleum.
So, the Colorado Oil and Gas Association decided to have some fun with the situation. It bestowed its first-ever “Extraordinary Customer Award” on The North Face, saying it appreciates the company for its abundant use of oil and gas.
Dan Haley, who heads up the industry trade association, held a mock award ceremony that was more like a roast. The CEOs of oil and gas companies lampooned The North Face, pointing out that its parent company is even building a hangar at Centennial Airport for its private jet fleet.
“To have such a large percent of what they make, probably three-quarters of the mass they ship, is actually our product. So, it’s hard to top the all-in nature of The North Face as a consumer of our product,” said Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Oilfield Services.
COGA is using The North Face incident as a springboard for a new campaign called Fueling Our Lives. It’s aimed at educating Coloradans about all the things that are made from petroleum – from electronics and sports equipment to medical devices, appliances, even dentures and soft contacts.
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“I think too often we think of oil and natural gas as just as fuels — something to put in our cars or heat or cool our homes,” said Haley. “And, as we’ve seen in recent weeks across the country that is hugely important part of what our industry – supplying affordable and efficient clean-burning natural gas to heat our homes and help power our grid – but we often forget just how many other things we have and enjoy in the 21st Century that are made possible because of oil and natural gas.”
The North Face did not respond to CBS4’s request for comment. In a statement to the Financial Times, the company said it investigates product requests to make sure they align closely with the goals surrounding sustainability and environmental protection.
