PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 15, 2025
I have always felt good shopping at L.L.Bean. Until recently when I learned the ugly truth underlying Bean’s projected image of a being a responsible corporate citizen. In 2024 the apparel and fashion sustainability and ethics rating platform Good on You gave L.L.Bean an overall rating of “Not Good Enough. There’s no evidence it’s taking meaningful action to reduce its climate impacts.” Last month, 48 national, regional and Maine-based organizations, collectively representing more than 2 million supporters, sent a letter to L.L.Bean CEO Stephen Smith asking him to “Meet with Citibank leaders to express your concern about Citi’s fossil fuel investments and how these are affecting both L.L.Bean’s business and reputation.” Think what great marketing it could be for a company that celebrates the love of the outdoors to truly walk its talk and tout its influence for the good of the planet. ~ Richard Peterson, Ph.D., University of New England as emeritus professor of environmental studies