Patagonia

I work at a Wilderness Therapy program for a living, and one of my favorite companies to get outdoor gear from is Patagonia. Complain all you want about the prices, call it Patagucci and what have you, they make good stuff, treat they're employees incredibly well, and have a serious commitment to environmentalism. Here is a link to their webpage that talks about their various environmental initiatives.
As far as the cost thing goes, in my experience, you get what you pay for. I have four Patagonia base layer shirts that I have had for 2-5 years, and none of them have even really begun to wear. And when they do, I can send them back to Patagonia. Not to mention the founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard essentially created the market for organic cotton. I think the cost thing brings up another issue about conscious consumerism; you're not going to get an organic t-shirt from an environmentally and socially conscious company for six dollars. There is more than likely going to be a financial cost for these things. But it all comes down to what are you going to choose to support with your purchases, besides, with the durability of the gear and the generous exchange policy, it's arguable that the high costs offsets itself over time because it's gear you don't have to pay to replace every year.
Patagonia also does well on the socially responsible front, having a section of their website that explains their commitment to fair labor and corporate responsibility. Skeptics might be thinking "of course they are saying nice things about themselves on their own website," but people I've met who work for or formerly worked for Patagonia have told me that they treat their employees well. An example of this is that they provide benefits for seasonal and part-time employees, a rarity for a global retail company.
No company is perfect, and the fact that Patagonia does outsource much of it's production and charge a high price for their gear does garner some criticism. However, compared to most other big outdoor retail brands, it stands out as a large company that cares about the environment and it's employees while still producing quality gear.


Image website: ontheroadwiththeroses.blogspot.com