‘Shut down the business’: US company faces backlash over ‘earth usage fee’ on online orders

What Happened

Patagonia introduced a 15 yuan ($2) fee for online orders on Alibaba's Tmall platform in China starting March 30. The fee applies to first items; additional items cost 5 yuan each. Customers keeping purchases receive refunds. The company cited 11,277 returns from 16,179 packages, causing 200 tonnes of carbon emissions. Collected funds go to environmental initiatives. Chinese social media users criticized the move, arguing brands should improve operations instead of shifting responsibility to consumers.

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